Diversions
by Team Moriarty
Summary: I can't believe I have to stay here. Out of all places, Volterra, Italy. I don't want to be here. I want to be back in Forks with Alice, Edward and the rest of them... But something in the way Caius looks at me tells me to just hang on a little longer... OOC/AU. A 'what-could-have-been' story.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my newly inspired story: Diversions.  
This is an odd pairing but I think it can work!  
Rated M for coarse language, sexual actions and a bunch of crazy stuff. Anyway, this is set in New Moon when Bella tries to stop Edward from suicide. I will not be quoting anything from New Moon, I'm going to go with what I remember. Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the creator of these intriguing characters. I do not own anything besides my ideas. _

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_-_Chapter 1-

Bella's POV

"Isabella must stay here in Volterra, she knows too much of our kind." Aro glanced at me with devilish, red eyes. It made shivers run down my spine.

"Never!" Edward growled, and tried to break free of the hold that one of the Volturi guards held him in.

I looked from Alice to Aro to Edward. Alice was pinned down on the ground with a pleading look on her face. Aro was staring Edward down with a cold, menacing glare. Edward was only looking at me with worried eyes. And all I could do was stand there and look at them helplessly. I couldn't help them, or try to pry them out of the guards' hold, a simple flick of their finger and they could break every bone in my entire body.

"Please, let them go and kill me instead!" I begged Aro. Although I knew my plead was worthless.

Edward snarled in response but I looked at him with a pleading stare. He looked at me with confusion and frowned. Could he not see that I was trying to protect them? If anyone should die, it should be me. I'm the root of the problem. If I never decided to pry my nose into someone else's business, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

Aro seemed to be stunned by my response. As were the other two leaders of the Volturi clan; Marcus and Caius. Aro stood up, amusement in his expression. He had the tips of his fingers touching each other. He had a sly smile on his face. I glared at him in return.

"You would give your life for a pathetic vampire?" He raised an eyebrow at me, awaiting my response.

"Yes." I answered quickly, it's a no-brainer.

I would give my life for Edward. He is my everything. Everything I could ever want. I wanted nothing more but to spend the rest of my life with Edward and the rest of the Cullens. They are my family and I would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant putting my life in danger. I love them.

"Interesting." Aro murmured.

Edward growled and Aro glanced at him. "She is to stay here."

"Can't we come to an agreement?" Alice pleaded, staring up in the eyes of the King of vampires.

Aro smiled at her. "Dear Alice, she knows too much. She cannot be trusted."

"Don't kill her!" Edward yelled, his voice echoed throughout the room

Aro looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Well. I guess there is only one option then."

"No!" Edward sneered.

"Make up your mind, boy! Either she is to be turned...or she will be killed." Aro declared.

He gave them an ultimatum. I know that Edward wouldn't let me die.

"Just...just give her time. Let her live a little longer. She can keep a secret. During the four months of my...separation with her," He paused, cringing at the memory. "she hadn't told a soul."

Aro looked at Edward greedily, holding out both of his hands as if he were receiving a gift. "May I?"

Edward reluctantly held out his hand and Aro nearly snapped his arm off. Aro closed his eyes and smiled, making me feel terrified once again. He opened his eyes and stared at me, directly.

"It seems to be that she is immune to her gift." His voice had an interesting tone to it. I looked to the thrones, where the other two Kings were seated and they stared at me coldly. Marcus had a longing look in his eyes but he was scrutinizing me. Caius looked like he held a grudge against the entire world. He frowned at me as Aro's words registered his mind.

Caius didn't look away. Actually, I was mesmerized by him. He looked angelic but I knew that all vampires had an inner demonic sense about them. His stare was no longer cold but somewhat soft, more gentle. Marcus noticed this and his lips parted for a moment but he immediately went back to the sullen statue I first saw as I walked into this main hall. I had to pull away from Caius's gaze as I heard Edward grunt and struggle against the Volturi guard. Aro was still staring at me with eagerness.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Marcus tell Caius something quickly and probably in Italian. Jane was standing next to them, obviously intrigued in their conversation. Caius's eyes grew wide and shocked. Caius told something to Jane but I snapped out of it, as I saw Aro approach me,

"May I?" He asked Edward.

"Ask _her_." Edward spat, looking at me with concern.

"Of course! How rude of me." He averted his eyes to me, his palms open. "Isabella, may I?"

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should or not. Would he crush my hand? I am, after all, a human and much more fragile to vampires. Assuming that Aro knew what he was doing, I nodded and Aro was more than eager to hold my hand and he closed his eyes with a huge smile on his face. Suddenly, that smile was wiped away and he shot a glare at me, with a frown.

"I see nothing." He uttered, completely shocked.

I wasn't really shocked that he couldn't see anything. Nothing seemed to take me by surprise anymore. I knew about the supernatural for god's sake! I should be used to this by now.

"She isn't to be terminated." Aro muttered, staring at me with hard eyes. "It would be a waste."

"She is a liability." Caius hissed. "She cannot be trusted!"

"And waste this amazing talent? She would make an excellent member of our guard." Aro let go of my hand and clapped joyfully.

"No! Stop!" Edward shouted, making me cringe at the sudden outburst.

Aro sighed. "She will live a while longer. If that is what you wish." Aro said, probably disappointed by the fact that I cannot be turned as soon as he had hoped. "Now, she will live for a year at most. No longer. Now go, I do not want to see you anymore." Aro waved a hand, dismissing them.  
Alice and Edward were dragged out of the main hall.

"I'll write you, Bella! I love you!" Edward yelled, before his voice faded into the darkness.

The entire room was silent. I had to fight back the tears as I watched my best friend and the love of my life be dragged out of the room. I couldn't help but let out a little whimper as I realized that I won't be able to see them for a year. I wouldn't be able to see Charlie...or Jacob...or my friends. I'm alone. In a country that I've never been to before. I'm stuck with a bunch of human blood drinking vampires that I have never acquainted with before. Worse of all, it was either that or death.

"Oh Isabella, my apologies. I know this must be hard for you." Aro whispered, loud enough for me to hear.

I turned around and hung my head, not letting him see my tear stained cheeks. I'm not going to let him think I was this vulnerable. I had to be strong for Alice. For Edward. For Charlie. And for myself.

"Jane!" Aro called. Within a second, Jane was at his side, smiling coyly at her King.

"Yes, Master?" She whispered.

Aro gestured to me. "Take Isabella to the guest chambers. Let her settle in. Alert all the guards in the entire castle _not _to harm her." He said the last part sternly.

"Yes, Master." She nodded.

Jane turned to me with a smile and held out her hand for me to take. I took it, not wanting to be rude, and she walked me past the thrones. I looked at Marcus who had a smirk on his face - not something you'd see often from someone like him. Caius was staring at me, not glaring, but staring.

As Jane and I left the throne room, I felt eyes on me.

Jane guided me into a grand hallway. There were several doors along side but the left and right of the hall, but she led me down right until the end. She opened the engraved wooden double doors and led me inside.

The room was grand. Red, gold, white and black were the obvious main colors of the room. It is Victorian styled, I recognized. The bed is over sized, but that would be a big understatement.

She let me walk around the room as I looked at every single detail. It is probably the most amazing room I have ever been in, which includes the Cullen's house.

Thinking of them brought me emotional pain.

"If you need anything, just call for me. I'll be at your side within a second flat." She snapped her fingers, her grin never leaving her beautiful face.

"Thanks, Jane" I returned the smile, gratitude in my voice.

"No problem. I'll be back later to call you down for supper and I will get Gianna to supply you with you _human _tools." She notified me. She turned to leave but I didn't want to her to. I still had questions to ask her.

"Jane." I said, feeling a little nervous for stopping her in her trail.

"Yes?" She inquired.

I hesitated. Would now be the good time to ask why they looked at me creepily?

"Why do you all stare at me...creepishly?" I asked, feeling rather silly for my language.

She let out a chuckle. "You're a curious one! I like that. Well, our gifts seem to have no affect with you at all. And you strike us odd."

I frowned. "Odd?"

"Peculiar, strange, foreign, unique. All the same." She shrugged.

"Why do you all find me...odd?" I asked, feeling a bit insecure.

"You're a fine one, Isabella-"

"Bella." I interrupted.

"Bella," She nodded. "but there is something that the Masters see in you. I'm not obligated to say what, exactly, for I'm not entirely sure. Master Marcus may, though-" She cut herself off. "Anyway," She gave me a quick smile. "I must depart, my brother Alec is calling for my assistance."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked her.

"Well, dear," She winked. "anything that you'd like."

For most of the evening, I sat alone in the room, taking books off of the bookshelf and reading them. I decided I shouldn't think about the Cullens or my family for the meant time, because I know I would break down and cry. I don't think the Volturi would want any disturbances in the castle anyway.

I was halfway through reading The Odyssey by Homer when there was gentle knock on the door.

"Hello?" I called out, cautiously.

Jane opened the door and quietly waltzed in. She had a look on her face that told me that something incredible has happened, because she looked stunned, shocked and surprised all at once, if that were possible.

"Hey Jane." I smiled at her, putting down the book and mentally noting what page I am on.

"Dinner's ready," She grinned. "Gianna prepared your dinner."

I got up from the bed and followed Jane as she led me down the hallway. I knew better than to go out of the room alone. As we walked down the hallway, we made an unusual turn. It is then when I noticed how massive and grand this estate really was. The ceilings were above high. It had an odd air to it, as if this weren't meant to be a house, but an ancient type of architecture. It probably was, too.

"This place is way too big." I stated, as we walked down a freaky, dark tunnel of a hallway.

"That is why you are not supposed to go alone." She glanced at me from behind her shoulder. "I have alerted the entire castle. There shouldn't be any problems with the guards. But I must warn you, do not, still, ever go on your own. Some guards still have impatience with their blood lust. It is why Gianna is always near the throne room."

"Why do you need her here?" I asked, staring at the back of Jane's perfect blond head.

"It helps us with our control, to be around a human and not attack on sight. But," She raised an eyebrow at me as she looked over her shoulder again. "we cannot be tamed."

I nodded, not wanting to ask further questions. It was a matter of minutes before we were finally in the dining area. Gianna was waiting with my plate of food, and I almost felt bad that she was to occupy cooking me dinner. I could have done that myself.

I frowned a little bit as she set the plate down. "I could have cooked for myself." I interjected, almost rudely.

"Master Aro does not want you to stress yourself. You already have much to deal with." Jane said, giving me a good point. I still wasn't okay with this, but Gianna's here to obey the Volturi and obviously I can't boss them around. I had to listen to Edward and be obedient. So I just nodded.

Jane sat down next to me and observed me with intense curiosity. She shook her head once, making me gawk at her with the impression that she found me revolting.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

"I wish I could remember how being a human was like." She stated, sighing again. I saw the longing she had in her eyes, as if she missed something terribly and wanted it back. But I was afraid that was already too late to get back.

"Oh." I whispered.

She crunched up her nose. "I still don't comprehend how you eat that."

I looked down at my finished plate of food. "It's not terrible."

"Yes, I understand that. But I don't find it appealing." She scrutinized my empty plate as Gianna came around to collect it. She handed me a glass of water and I chugged it down gratefully.

"I don't find blood appealing either." I said, sarcastically.

"You're so full of it." She grunted, sounding like my mother when she was upset with me.

"Full of what? The blood or sarcasm?" I raised a brow, finding humor in what I just said.

Jane let out a laugh, it was musical and nice to hear. Jane always looked so serious and that was a big understatement but there was a side of her trying to break free - a careless girl who wanted nothing but a friend to talk and vent to, hang out and just joke around with.

"Both!" She exclaimed.

In some part of the multiple halls, I heard a variety of laughter echoing throughout the room.

"And apparently," She quirked an eyebrow at me with a sly smile on her face. "everyone else thinks so, too."

She giggled slightly and I half-smiled. Hopefully I could get on their good side. I'm already on Aro's good side, knowing that he thinks I have some special ability. He wants me to join their guard, an option that I didn't know how to react to yet.

"Well, I'm done eating." I said, satisfied that there was actually some food in this big estate.

She hesitated for a moment, not following my lead as I stood up. "I believe Master Aro would like to speak with you."

"With me?" I frowned. What did he want from me now? It was bad enough he made me locked up in a place I've never been to before, in a country I've never even been to and with a bunch of thirsty vampires that were probably wishing Aro wasn't here just to sink their teeth into me.

"Yes. Let me escort you to his study." She said as she held out her hand for me to take.

I took her hand obediently.

Aro's study was a long way away from my room. It took us five minutes just to get there! Unbelievable, if you ask me. It takes me five minutes to walk up my block, not to get to a room in the same building you are in. Visualizing that this estate was probably as big as an entire neighborhood, I decided to acquaint myself with these halls, in case I get lost or something.

Hah. Even though I knew I shouldn't go alone, do you really think that would stop me?

Probably. This place creeps the hell out of me.

Jane stopped in front of double wooden doors with scriptures and odd details. It looked to be very old. Jane knocked the door, as if it were necessary. Aro knew we would be here. He could smell our scent, too.

"Come in." He invited.

Jane opened the door and walked in, her hand releasing mine as she clasped hers together.

"Here is Isabella, Master." She bowed.

Aro looked at his most trusted guard proudly. "Thank you, dear Jane. Welcome Isabella." He nodded my way, an interesting spark of emotion hidden behind his red eyes.

"I need to discuss a couple of things with you." Aro studied me. "And it is most important that you know now."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello, everyone. I hoped you enjoyed the beginning of Diversions.  
It is a little messy in the beginning, but I have all the intention to clean it up from here on forth.  
This chapter should make everything seem a little more clear, but yet it doesn't give away a lot that will happen just yet.  
Thank you for your patience and for the lovely reviews, you guys are incredibly loyal._

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-Chapter 2-

Bella's POV

Aro gestured for me to take a seat in one of the two leather chairs in his office. Just like the rest of the manor, his office was amazing. It was Victorian styled. Bookshelves aligned nearly all the walls with volumes of books on them. I could tell a lot were written in Italian or Latin. Some were in French and English, as well.

Other than bookshelves, there were works of art up on the walls. Most of them I am unfamiliar with but I was assuming that they were one of a kind, not to be seen by any other than the Volturi coven.

Aro looked happy to see me. I wasn't all too thrilled to be in his office. I wanted to be alone and have my thoughts to myself; have the time to finally think about my family, friends and the love of my life. But Jane told me that what Aro had to say is something important. I could only imagine.

"Isabella, so nice to see you again." He greeted kindly.

I wasn't used to looking in the red eyes of vampires, so I had a hard time concentrating on not squirming or looking away. Aro never looked away like I did, he looked at me intensely. It felt like he could see right through me.

"You too." I attempted a smile, but it wasn't genuine, like I had wanted.

He took a moment to pause. "Tell me, Isabella, your connection to the Cullen boy."

I was stunned that he decided to talk to me about this. My heart beat accelerated rapidly and my palms were sweating.

"I-uh..." I stammered.

Aro let out a low chuckle at my shocked expression. He clasped his hands together and looked me directly in the eye, amusement on his pale face. He smirked.

"Are you infatuated with him?" He asked me. I don't understand why he is asking all these personal questions. It's my business and he doesn't really have to know but considering my circumstances, I don't really have much of a choice.

"I love him." I decided that was a simple enough response. It should explain most of the questions that are drilling in his mind.

He smiled a little bit at my response like he knew that we loved each other, but there was something about the way he looked at me that told me he thought otherwise.

"Elaborate, Isabella, why would you give up your life for him?" He inquired.

I looked down for a moment. There were all sorts of reasons why I would give up my life for him. First, I loved him. He is my everything and always will be. Second, despite his ridiculous attempt in killing himself, he left for my protection. Which wasn't really smart, and it was stupid because I spiraled down into depression, but I  
knew his intention was a good. Lastly, because he cares for me. He's willing to do anything for me. Refer back to number two.

"There's a variety of reasons." I began.

"Interesting." He murmured. I was thankful he didn't want any further explanations.

"Because Victoria is bitterly angry with you, would you be willing to offer us your help in her capture?" He asked.

This wasn't even something I had to think about. The faster she's gone, the less time I would have to worry where she is and if she's after my family, the Cullens or me. I nodded.

"Of course." I responded, almost too fast. "What will I have to do?"

"Excellent!" He whispered, darkly. "We will need you for your scent. That will be the first thing she will use to track you."

I nodded. I thought I'd have a more important role than just to stand there and wait for her to come to us. But nonetheless, I was really happy that the Volturi is stepping in to eliminate her.

"Don't worry, you'll be protected by most of the guard and couple of my own." He grinned, pleased that I obliged.

"That's no problem." I smiled, whole-heartedly.

"By the way," He said, before I got up. "do you find interest in Caius?"

My breathing hitched at the sound of his name. I turned around and stared Aro straight in the eye, ignoring the fact that my heart just doubled in speed and said, "No."

The look on his face told me that he didn't believe me. "Alright. You are dismissed."

I turned for the door and made a mad dash to whatever room was at the end of the hall.

I ended up lost in this gigantic castle. I didn't want to call out for Jane, though, in case one of the guards come after me and decide to kill me. So, I walked around even more, fascinated by the designs and the odd ceilings, stone pillars and random murals everywhere.

Pictures of censored angels that were partly naked were on this particular sphere ceiling. It reminded me of The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It was a pretty sight, to see how much work was put into this and the story behind it.

I walked into unknown territory. This hallway had maybe three dozen doors all around and it was dark. Maybe because vampires don't really need much light to look around. But unfortunately, I did.

I accidentally bumped into a marble pillar and knocked myself flat on the ground, scraping my skin against the rectangular edge of the stupid thing. I stood up, observing my arm to only hear a low growling coming from down the hallway.

My breathing quickened and I gasped for air, fear taking over my mind. Every passing second, there was an audibly footstep, clicking closer and closer towards me. I backed up against the wall, hoping that whoever it is, would leave if they knew it's me.

"Hello, honey..." A deep, gruff voice whispered, approaching me.

I looked up with the limited light given, I instantly knew who this is. Felix Volturi. He's tall, muscular - less so than Emmett, had dark brown hair and piercing red eyes, just like the rest of his coven. He bent down, licking his lips.

"Oh if it isn't Isabella Swan..." He murmured, quietly. "Won't you make for a delightful little-"

"Felix." I heard someone sneer in anger.

Felix's eyes widened and his back straightened up as she stood up from the ground. I laid there, against the wall, putting pressure on the little cut that drew Felix here.

"Yes, Master Caius?" He asked.

My own eyes widened. What the hell is Caius doing in this part of the castle?

"What have you been up to?" Caius asked, something tells me he isn't really interested in what Felix had to say.

Caius glanced in my direction for a moment and we locked eyes. His eyes were black. With fury.

"Master I-"

"You heard what Aro said. Do _not _touch the girl." They way he said it made me feel like there's a double meaning in those words.

"That wasn't my intention-"

"Don't lie to me, Felix." Caius spat, stepping forward. Felix took a step back. Fearfully, I tried to move, but I was frozen in my spot, afraid that if I did, the attention would be drawn back to me. And I would be sucked dry.

Felix stood silent, terrified of his leader.

"Leave." He commanded. Like an obedient pet, he sped away.

Caius averted his eyes to me. He didn't look mad or angry, but thoughtful and concerned. He approached me carefully, his nostrils flaring at the scent of my blood. I pressured my arm even harder.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

I attempted to stand up and was successful. I released my grip on my arm involuntarily, to help with my balance, and blood spluttered everywhere. I was shocked at how much blood I had lost. The growing puddle of blood on the floor showed that this cut was deep.

Caius closed his eyes shut, his shoulders not moving; signifying that he wasn't breathing. My breathing hitched as I started to feel slightly dizzy, grasping onto another pillar for balance.

The pillar wasn't stable enough and I nearly fell again, hitting my head against the wall. I was humiliating myself in front of Caius! The impact of my head slamming against the wall must have been drastic, for I passed out.

The last thing I remember was cold hands wrapping around me and lifting me off the ground.

I woke up in an odd room, one that I wasn't really familiarized with. Although my vision was blurry, I could see colors; silver, gold, white and black. Much different from my room. Even though I could see the colors, I couldn't really see what I was looking at.

My breathing hitched as I remembered what happened before I passed out. I cringed, a precious member of the Volturi attacked me. A precious member. It made me wonder who my next attacker will be. I knew Aro lied, I'm not safe here. I'll never like it here, not until I am back at home with Edward

"Isabella!" A panicked voice gasped. I felt a cool air whip around the room. I blinked a few times, clearing up my foggy vision. It was Jane.

"Jane? Where am I?" I asked, sitting up quickly, earning me a head rush. I held up a hand to my head and suppressed a groan.

"You're in Caius's room." She informed me. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"I'm in Caius's room?" I frowned, looking at her in confusion. "Why?"

"Because he wanted you here. Isabella," She lifted chin up with her finger, making me look at her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I said. And I really was feeling fine.

"Good." She smiled, letting my chin go.

"Sorry, Jane." I apologized, letting my head hang low. I looked at the bandaged on my arm that soaked up all the blood. It probably had stopped bleeding by now.

She looked at me in confusion. "Why? You have nothing to apologize for."

I bit my lower lip. "I went off on my own."

"No, Isabella. Don't even worry about that. I just hope you're okay." She looked at me, her eyebrows raised in worry.

I smiled at her hospitality. "Thank you." I whispered, hugging her tightly. My gestured must have caught her off guard, she was a little slow in returning the hug.

"You're welcome." She smiled in return, then she stood still, glancing at the doorway. "Caius will be here soon."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Well, this is _his _room." She rolled her eyes.

"Right." I drew out the word.

On cue, Caius's godly figure came through the door. It took all my ability not to look him directly in the eye, because I knew I would be lost in his gaze. I focused on his figure instead.

Damn...he looked better than Edward. _Bella, no way in hell did you just think that. _I shuddered slightly, as I realized what I had just thought. Am I more attracted to Caius than Edward? Impossible. No way.

Maybe.

"Jane, please." Caius gestured for Jane to leave, but I didn't really want her to.

Jane bowed her head and left the room in a hurry.

"Isabella," Caius said. "are you well?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice's stability. I might end up stuttering and making a fool out of myself.

"Good." He smiled, satisfied. His face quickly fell as he glanced at my arm. "I must apologize about your injury." His voice was cold and hard, but the words were genuine.

"It's okay." I managed to whisper.

"No one will harm you ever again." He promised, crossing his arms.

"Except Victoria." I said under my breath, mostly to myself. But I knew he could hear me, which was a mistake on my part.

"No she won't. I won't allow it." He said fiercely.

I was taken aback by his sudden protectiveness. But then again, Aro probably told them to protect me. He would think of it a waste if I was to be disposed of. I mentally sighed, knowing I was still only alive because of Edward's word and Aro's curiosity of me.

"Thanks." I whispered, doubting that I won't be hurt again.

I knew what vampires do. I know that sometimes their promises are empty, especially when it involves my safety. Like when Edward said he was leaving, because he and his family's presence brought me danger, it nearly got me killed. Victoria's still out for me and Felix tried to feed off of me. I had to face it, I'm basically a danger magnet.

Suddenly, Caius was in front of me, and I gasped. He took my face in his hands and held me there so fast that it was blinding speed. His touch felt...right. It made me feel safe and secure. His eyes locked with mind, making my brain whirl.

"I will _not _under _any _circumstances _ever _let anyone harm you, okay?" He said, seriously.

"Y-yes." I stuttered, suddenly afraid.

He released me and went to the door, a look of shame crossing his face.

"Sorry..." He whispered. And then he disappeared.

I was left on his bed, dizzy and confused by what just happened. Caius...protective...over me? Why? And why did I feel so excited and happy when he touched me? Why were all these things happening to me?

I need to write Edward and soon. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

"Jane!"

Jane gave me an ink well, a feather and a piece of paper. I wasn't use to writing with a feather, it made weird ink blots everywhere. Plus, my writing was terrible enough even with a pencil, use a feather - an old way to writer - just made it look even worse. But I didn't care, as soon as Edward gets the letter, the sooner I knew that he would send one back.

Finally, I was done with the letter. I set the feather back into the ink well and sealed the paper into two, hoping that the ink wouldn't smudge. In the letter, I just told him how I missed all of them, how I've already caused trouble and how everything's okay. I told him that Jane is a good friend, and I'm happy that she's here. I told him to tell the others that I miss them, and to tell me what excuse he told Charlie and Jacob.

I nearly cried when I wrote their names down.

"Done?" Jane asked.

I nodded. "Yeah." I handed her the letter and she sealed it in an envelope, scrawling down some words before tucking it in her velvet cloak.

She laid a hand on my shoulder, noticing how sad I am. "I know it's hard to be away from them, Isabella. But they'll visit, that's something to look forward to."

I smiled up at her. "Thanks, Jane. You're right."

"Of course I'm right." She teased. "I'll send Gianna to the post office later on, you should sleep soon." She spun and walked to the door.

"In here?" I asked, frowning.

She turned around. "Why, yes."

"Why?" I asked.

"Full of questions, now, are we?" She raised a brow.

She's using the same tactic as she did the first night I went to sleep. She's avoiding the question by asking another one. Although she's sneaky and a trickster, I knew what she's doing.

"Come on Jane, no more games, what's going on?" I asked.

"As before, it is not my place to go into detail. But I can tell you that all three Masters have requested that you stay here from here on out. For protection bases...mostly." She said, but what suspicioned me was the fact that she added the word 'mostly'. That means there's another reason that she's not going to tell me.

I hate secrets. It makes me feel so weak, oblivious and vulnerable.

"Okay." I huffed.

"Don't worry, Isabella," Jane smiled. "you'll find out soon enough."

She walked out of the room in a haste. What the hell did she mean that I was going to find out soon enough? _Well, no duh Bella, she means you'll find out soon. _My mind said to me like I was stupid. I knew that. But why is this so important and why am is it me that is involved? Is it about Victoria? If it is, then wouldn't they be obligated to tell me?

Just then, a blonde female who was probably taller than me with the same blood red eyes as the others came through the door. She had an unhappy look on her face and she approached me.

"What are you doing in my husband's room?" She snarled.

Husband? Caius had a wife? Sudden culmination came to me, this must be Athenodora.

"I was put here." I replied simply, trying my best not to offend her.

"By who's advocacy?" She inquired, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"The three founders." I said, hoping that this would make her back off.

It somewhat worked, her body seemed to relax a little, but she still looked unhappy and judgmental. Without a single glance back at me, she walked away, leaving me to my thoughts.

I fell asleep minutes later, into a dreamless slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello everyone!  
You guys are absolutely amazing. I love all of your feedback.  
I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! I am (: _

* * *

-Chapter 3-

Bella's POV

I woke up the next morning, feeling groggy and cranky. I slept for a long time, but that didn't mean I actually wanted to get up. I didn't bother to ope my eyes for a few seconds. During those few seconds, the memories of Athenodora's appearance were the only thing I could think of.

Caius had a wife. She's beautiful but I could see she had a slight temper. I wonder why Jane, Edward or anyone else didn't tell me that Caius had a mate. I knew Aro had a mate; Sulpicia. I knew Marcus once had one; Didyme, but she passed away long ago. But how come no one told me that Caius had a mate? It isn't a big deal, is it? Why does it feel like a huge secret has been exposed? Or am I just overreacting?

Probably overreacting.

A couple minutes flown by until I switched positions and was met with a bright ray of sunlight against my lids. Cringing, I opened my eyes, groaning at the realization that I had to face another day I this dungeon.

I yawned, sitting upright and stretching my arms out. I looked around; no one's here. It made me feel a little empty inside. Usually, Edward would be there when I awoke, but not this time. I was left alone.

Deciding not to waste any time, I did my morning routine. Shower, brush my teeth and my hair, put on some clothes and make myself look suitable. And to my disappointment, I didn't manage to look half as good as any of the female vampires here. They are practically Goddesses and if I looked next to them, I'd compare to a piece of dust. Your eyes would most likely draw to them instead of me.

"Isabella?" I heard a voice whisper from the bedroom.

"Jane?" I called, peering around the corner.

"It's me." She confirmed, her ghostly figure making its way to where I am.

"What's up?" I asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Breakfast's ready when you are." She smiled.

"What time is it, anyway?" I asked, glancing at the window and noticing how the sun was high up in the sky.

"Eleven in the morning." She informed me, not even taking a moment to look at a clock.

"Oh." I said.

"Are you feeling better?" She inquired, her brows raising up slightly in concern.

"Yeah," I nodded. "it was nothing. It happens all the time." I shrugged nonchalantly.

"The irony." Jane chuckled to herself, shaking her head.

"What?" I frowned, in confusion.

"You're afraid of blood yet you're with those who crave it most." She giggled.

I laughed a little bit, realizing she had a very good point. I did hate blood but still I agreed and I wanted to become a vampire; the specie that feeds off of it and needs it in order to function properly. I still couldn't believe I had gotten myself into this.

"I know." I sighed, pursing my lips.

"Are you ready?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yep." I nodded.

We walked out of Caius's room - I still felt really weird about being I his room - and walked towards the dining room. Like last time, Gianna was ready to give me my plate of food. Jane sat down in her usual spot and watched me eat. The look of distaste wasn't showing today.

After I was done, she said that I could do whatever I want.

"Am I allowed to go out into the city?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"No." She replied, sadly.

I sighed, one more thing I hate about being prisoner in this jail. I couldn't even get some sunlight! I'm as white as it is, might as well soak up as much sun as I can without getting stared at by people then wait until I changed and sparkle.

"But," She interrupted my thoughts. "you can go out into the garden."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Let me show you the way." She said, and stalked off into a different hallway.

We walked for a very long time, not that I'm surprised. Windows covered this part of the castle, old ones with those weird crown moldings painted either white or like polished wood. The view from the castle is amazing, though. At my right, there was trees. A lot of them, too, reminding me of Forks. The sun beamed upon them, making them appear lighter in color than usual. To my left, you could see the city, or some of it anyway. It was beautiful. No words could describe what I was thinking.

Jane turned towards stairs that spiraled down for a while. Once we reached the bottom, there was a room that had one door - leading towards the garden, I assumed.

"Here we are!" She exclaimed, happily sighing. She opened the doors and waited for me to walk in.

I expected the Volturi garden to be somewhat neglected. If not, to look a little bit like a jungle with vines climbing up the side of the castle and pots of roses everywhere, just like the ones you would see in a Disney movie.

But this one was marvelous. Yes, there was vines along side the castle walls but there was much more than that. It was big, very big. I'd say an acre at the least. There was a narrow cobblestone path that led somewhere deep into the garden. Tall shrubs and trees were everywhere as well as flowers growing from the soil beneath.

Red, pink, yellow, white, all colors that you could think of were present. Jane took the lead, following the cobblestone pathway. I followed her, hypnotized by the beauty of this lush garden.

Finally, there was an opening. It was cleared in the shape of a circle with a bench in the middle. The sun hit the spot beautifully, making everything seem brighter. It looked like a place where you would plan a wedding or a romantic date spot. It doesn't matter, I knew I would be spending most of my time here reading a book by myself.

"Do you like it?" Jane asked, but by the way she said it, I knew she knew that I was basically in love with this place.

"I love it!" I squealed anyway. "It's so beautiful here."

Jane stepped into the sunlight, her skin sparkling like a million little diamonds. The sun's effect on her skin made tiny little rainbows appear everywhere. Her arms were out as she looked up at the sun, enjoying the feel of it. "I miss it out here." She confessed, her white teeth glimmering in the sunlight.

"You don't come out here often?" I asked, kind of surprised. Who wouldn't want to come out here?

"No," She shook her head. "usually Athenodora and Caius are out here. Sometimes Marcus when he prefers to be in a less distracting environment. Renata, Corin, Gianna...Felix. Don't worry, Isabella," Jane noticed my tense figure. "he's not going to be here for a couple of hours. He's out."

I nodded, not wanting to know why he's _out_. I winced slightly at the memory of him attacking me. Even if he hadn't caused me any harm, I still feared him. He's just so much bigger than the rest of them. And his voice makes him sound like a bear.

"I will leave you alone here. You can't get lost with the pathway here and if you need me, just shout." She giggled, returning to her normal posture.

"Thanks." I smiled.

Jane left leaving me to my thoughts. I finally had some privacy to think about everything I've been wanting to think about. Edward, Charlie, Jacob...everyone.

It hurt to be away from Edward. It's only been two days but still I missed his voice, his touch, his presence. I missed everything about him. I missed him hugging me at night singing the lullaby he wrote for me. I missed being with him at his secret meadow filled with wild flowers. I missed kissing him passionately and feeling I'm at the top of the world. I missed him holding me tight and telling me that I'll be okay; that everything will work out fine. The memories I had with him weren't many but I still held them close to me. It brought tears to my eyes feeling abandoned for the second time, even if this one isn't intentional. But I know that I will get to see him in a couple of weeks. That thought alone made me feel strong enough to endure being locked up in the Volturi's castle.

I also missed Jacob. He was my life preserver when I was drowning in the sea of sorrows. He tied me back together when I was broken from the Cullen's departure. He was the one who made me feel better about myself and made me forget about the pain that Edward caused me. He was there when I needed him most. Up until he mysteriously disappeared. Turns out he's a werewolf.

What else is new in this crazy world?

Charlie. I love my father more than anything. I miss him, just having him there looking out for me. I missed his over-protectiveness with me whenever I was around Edward, even though Edward could protect me better than Charlie could. But I was never ungrateful for having Charlie there. He took care of me during my...darkest hours.

Tears stung my eyes as I realized that I would never be able to see Charlie soon. I could only imagine how worried and sick he must be just wondering where I am. I hoped the Cullens convinced him that I was missing or ill or something. The next time I would see Charlie, I would be in vampire form. Even then, I'll have to wait a few years in order to have full control over my, supposed, blood lust.

_Suck it up, Bella. You're strong enough to go on. You just said that you will see him again. You just have to wait. Be patient...be patient... _

I sniffled and wiped my tears away. How many times have I cried since I've been here? Many times, probably. More than I can count.

"Isabella?" Oh no, there was that familiar voice. Please don't be who I think it is...

"Isabella, I know you're here."

In plain sight, Caius stepped into the circle, Athenodora by his side. At the sight of me, she looked irritated. She looked at me in disgust but tried her best to hide it. Caius held out a hand, signaling Athenodora to stay put.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me, suspicion evident in his voice.

"Jane told me this was a good place if I needed to be alone." I replied, my voice still shaky from crying.

"Why didn't you stay in my room?" He asked.

I looked at Athenodora, remembering her being discontent about me staying there. He noticed my glancing behind him. Realization flushed his features.

"Athenodora, leave." He demanded.

"But Caius-"

"Leave." He growled, annoyed at her.

"Fine." Athenodora retorted. She looked at me with an angry expression, her red eyes now black, and stalked off.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, kind of mad that he made his wife leave.

"It was necessary." He said.

"No, I could have left." I reasoned, feeling slightly bad for ruining their personal time.

"That wasn't why I told her to leave." He said, amusement in his tone.

"Then why?" I inquired, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence overwhelm me, as if I was talking to a life long friend.

"I know that she's unhappy with you staying in my room." He said, smiling coyly.

"I could move, if that is what she wants." I whispered, trying my best to be cooperative.

"It doesn't matter what _she wants_, it matters what _you need_." He explained, sincerity in his words.

"I don't want to feel like such a burden." I murmured, feeling ashamed.

Caius became defensive all of a sudden, and he looked me straight in the eyes. "You are not a burden."

"I know that Athenodora is not happy with me." I mumbled. "You all have to protect me every minute of every day, to top it off."

"Firstly," He said, smirking. "Athenodora will just have to get used to you living here. And secondly, we will protect what is worth protecting."

I looked up into his eyes, feeling good about myself. Caius made me feel better about this situation and definitely persuaded me into thinking that I was worth the effort. Looking into his blood red eyes, made me feel secure. It's an odd feeling.

"I ruined your alone time with her." I muttered, foolishly confessing.

He laughed. "No you didn't. She dragged me out here."

"If you didn't want to come, then why did you?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He sighed. "Athenodora feels like it's obligatory to do these things if we're married."

"And you are." I stated, not really meaning for it to be a question.

"...Not exactly..." He murmured. "I do love her very much and I care for her as well. But, it doesn't make me feel whole. It feels like a part of me has been missing throughout our entire relationship. I've discussed this with Marcus and Aro and both came to the conclusion that we aren't really mates. But we stayed together, because it just _looked _good."

"She's not your mate?" I gasped.

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But she does not want to let me go."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. She refuses to let Aro see her memories, as if she is hiding something important. I wouldn't doubt that she's engaging sexually with others." He shrugged. I could hear the hurt in his voice and the defeat in his eyes.

"Why don't you call it off?" I frowned.

"She doesn't want to." He muttered, his tone flat.

"Caius..." I murmured, thinking about something that could make sense in his situation."

"Yes, _cara mia_?" He asked, glancing up at me. With my little knowledge of the Italian language, I knew he said 'My dear'. Which made me blush in flattery.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she's only with you for the power and...the, um, sex?" I asked, feeling embarrassed at my confrontation. But it had to be said, he can't keep living in the shadows anymore.

"Several times." He confessed brokenly.

"Then maybe it's time you do something about this." I murmured.

He stared at me incredulously for the longest of time. Surprisingly, I didn't feel discomfort or anything like that. I felt...at ease. _Oh my god, what the hell is happening to me?_

"You're right." He smiled, beaming at me with admiration. "But I should consult the others..."

I looked at him sternly and laid a hand on his shoulder, not feeling the slightest bit awkward at my gesture.

"You need to consult the others to decide what to do about _your _relationship?" I asked, I gawked at him idiotically.

"...No." He muttered, hesitantly.

I got up from my seat. "Tell me if it goes well."

The cold, hard look was back into his eyes as he got up. I didn't know what got him so tense again, but I decided it's best if I don't say anything else. Maybe he's mad at me now...

"Caius!" A shrilling voice called. Athenodora. "Aro wants everyone in the throne hall, now! Including that pesky human!"

I didn't even flinched as she insulted me. I won't be human for much longer anyway.

"Let's go." Caius looked at me from his peripheral vision.

I followed.

"We have news." Aro announced. My heart beat accelerated, which caught the attention of a few vampires in the room. "Victoria knows where Isabella is." He shot me an apologetic look.

"She's coming here?" Chelsea asked, her voice raining with boredom.

"Yes. It is why we must take extra precautions. Newborns are to be expected." He said, not once did his voice ring me as alarmed. He seemed to be taking this casually. But not me, I felt like I was about to explode with anxiety. Jane was next to me in a flash, holding me up so that I had extra support.

"I knew she was trouble!" Athenodora snarled from one corner of the room.

"Everything is trouble, Athenodora." Aro told her calmly.

Athenodora rolled her eyes, displeased.

"The Cullens are to be coming in three days. In about a week is when we are to expect Victoria, according to dear Alice." Aro chimed. "We will assign Isabella to the West wing. She is to stay in Caius's chamber for the time being. I would like Corin and Renata to be guarding that wing when Victoria arrives. You all are well prepared for a battle. We have the upper hand." He smiled, devilishly.

"Seems like so much effort just to protect a stupid human." Athenodora retorted, snorting. Her arms were crossed and she had a arrogant air to her facial expression. It made me feel bad about myself again, for making them do this.

Caius snarled audibly.

"Calm down, brother." Aro said, holding up a hand. "Athenodora, if you are so discontent with her, please do us the favor and depart. We do not need such a sour attitude in our coven."

"No, Master. I'm not discontent." But her tone said otherwise.

"Very well." Aro dismissed her. "You may leave."

Everyone was gone in a flash, while Jane still helped me stay stable. My legs were shaking and my heart thumping a million beats a minute. I felt sweat coming on and the suddenly I felt too hot.

"Isabella, are you alright?" Jane frowned, her cool hand trailing up and down my neck.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just...Victoria." I whimpered, using the back of my hand to wipe off the layer of sweat on my forehead.

"Caius!" Jane screamed. "Caius, take Isabella to your room! I need to get her something!"

Silently, I felt thicker arms snake around my waist, drawing me close. Caius picked me up, bridal style, and ran to his chamber. For a few moments, everything was quiet as Caius looked at me worriedly. Jane came in holding a cellphone in one hand and a tiny piece of paper in the other.

"Here," She said, handing me the paper and the cell phone. "call the Cullens. It will make you feel better."

Gratefully, I dialed in the number. As I listened to the dial tone, I grew more and more anxious. I needed to talk to somebody I knew, I feel like I might go insane. Then the dial tone ceased for a minute, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Hello?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey everybody, I hope you're enjoying school/work just as much as I am. Because I'm not enjoying it at all!  
Anyway, here's the next chapter for all of you.  
I have exams coming up in a couple of weeks so beware, my updates will be less frequent up until February.  
And in February, The Walking Dead is back on (which is my all-time favorite show), I won't be updating as much either.  
But nevertheless! I adore this story and will continue to update despite my terrible schedule and habits!  
Do ya'll think you can make it up to **11 **reviews for this chapter? It's just for a boost of confidence.  
Thanks!_

_Next update: January 18th, 2013._

* * *

-Chapter 4-

Bella's POV

"Hello?" The voice on the other end echoed through the phone.

"Hi." I whispered shyly, hoping that they would be okay with me calling. I haven't talk to them in a couple of days, but I still can't not talk to them. I need to talk to someone who I can relate to and who I have known for a long time. I feel like an alien staying here.

"Bella?! Oh my god, is it you?!" Alice's chirpy voice squeaked on the other end excitedly. I smiled at her reaction. Oh, Alice.

"It's me." I breathed happily, letting out a slight giggle.

Caius and Jane exchanged glanced at each other. Jane left the room, giving me privacy. Caius walked over to the bed and sat down next to me, listening in on the conversation. I didn't mind him eavesdropping or being around me anymore, it kind of made me feel...important. More superior. I don't know, it's just a weird feeling.

"I've missed you so much, Bella! I know, it's only been, like, two days, but still I miss having to dress someone up like a barbie doll. Rosalie never lets me do that to her, she hates it. Ugh! I'm so alone here, I don't have any girl time as much anymore. Rosalie is too busy with Emmett, if you catch my drift. Oh my gosh, Bella, only four more days and I get to see you again. We'll all be able to see you again. This Victoria thing is getting ridiculous, and she's such a troublemaker, I swear to god we'll kill her-"

"Alice?" I cut her off, biting my lip.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just excited they let you talk to me! I saw it coming, too." She laughed on the other end.

"It's okay. I miss you." I sighed, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

"We all miss you, Bella. Edward's having a hard time being away from you. He's always playing that piano of his, playing your lullaby over and over. He's not the same." Her voice sad.

Tears started to rule my eyes. Envisioning Edward playing my song; I can hear it in my head.

"Is that Bella?" I heard someone growl on Alice's other end. Edward?

"Yeah, it is." Alice confirmed.

"Can I talk to her?" Edward asked, his voice eager.

"Of course!" Alice paused. "Bella, Edward's going to talk to you, okay? I'll talk to you in a bit." She said.

There was brief moment of silence on the other end. I looked up at Caius who was looking at me curiously. I gave him a small smile which he returned.

"Bella." Edward's voice greeted me, relieved. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"Of course I am. I can handle myself." Caius shot me a look of disbelief as he tried to muffle his laughter. I shot him a dirty look.

"I miss you so much." He whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

"I miss you too." Then the tears started to fall. Silently, Caius came to my side to comfort me and I gladly let him. I didn't acknowledge the fact that I was talking to my boyfriend on the phone while I'm in the arms of another. It made me sound like I was cheating, but Caius doesn't feel that way about me. He's just comforting me.

"Bella, baby, don't cry." Edward murmured. Just hearing his voice made me want to cry even more. I missed him being here. I missed him so goddamn much that I wanted break the rules and just be with him.

Caius's arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly against him, making me feel so cared for. And I cried silently, listening to Edward talk as he told me, begged me, to stop crying.

"I love you, Bella. Only a few more days and we'll see each other again. You don't need to worry." He reassured, sincerity in his voice.

I took a deep breath. "I love you, too."

Caius's grip tightened, making me squirm against him. His right hand tangled itself in my hair as he pressed the side of my face to his chest. I relaxed completely.

"I'll always love you..." Then the line went dead.

Panicking, I looked at the phone to realize the battery had died. I closed the phone shut, starting to cry. I couldn't help it even if I wanted to; I missed them all so much. I had four more days until I see them again, and I'm balling my eyes out.

"Isabella, calm down, _cara mia_." Caius cooed into my ear.

I closed my eyes shut tightly, praying that I will make it until Friday, four days from now. I didn't even get the chance to ask Alice or Edward how Charlie and Jake's doing. I'm locked up in this stupid castle with vampires I don't even know and who don't even care about me, other than Jane and maybe Caius or Aro. Who am I kidding, Aro only wants me alive because he thinks I'll be a great asset to his guard. That's all he wants.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized. What did he have to apologize for?

"You-you don't n-need to ap-pologize." My voice trembled, like a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

He pulled away from me, looking at me incredulously. "I do, you hate me. You hate me because I'm letting Aro keep you here, locked up, away from _them_. " For a moment, I thought I saw a pained expression cross his face, but it quickly disappeared.

"I don't hate you." I whispered, it sounded more harsh than I would have liked it to.

"Isabella, but it is partly my fault for keeping you here." Is he trying to make me hate him? Or is he just trying to make me show more emotion than self-pity?

"I don't hate you." I repeated, ignoring the fact that what he said was true. But I don't hate him for that. I don't even think that it's his fault that I'm locked up in here. I think it's Aro's fault that I'm here. He doesn't want me to spread secrets about their kind, but I'm sure he knew that I wouldn't do that. I think he wants me to like it here, so that I would become one of his guard. The only way that would happen is if the Cullen's decided to move to Italy and be a part of the Volturi.

"I'm sorry if my approach to comforting you was sudden. I was only trying to make you feel better." He apologized again. This guy apologizes for every single thing, and he doesn't even have to. Actually, I kind of liked it being in his arms. _Did I really just think that? _

"No! No, I liked it. I mean, it made me feel better about everything that's going on. You don't need to apologize, Caius. It's okay, I like you." I moved forward on the bed, inching closer to him.

"Isabella," He looked at me with anguished eyes as he joined me on the bed, inches away from my face. "I can't explain this. I really cannot. But I have the strong urge to protect you."

I nearly gasped, trying to keep my composure. But like every other time I like to keep calm, my body does not agree with me. My face flushed bright red, probably, and my heart beat accelerated.

"Caius-"

"Tell me, Isabella, tell me that you don't feel something for me." His confrontational words made my stomach lurch. I really wished I could feel the slightest feeling of odium or disgust but I couldn't, because I felt the exact opposite.

"I can't." I confessed, the words barely audible.

"No," He whispered, shaking his head. "no."

"What?" I murmured, wondering why he looked appalled and shocked.

"You cannot possibly feel something for me..." He whispered.

"Caius, I don't know what I feel." I muttered, and it is partly true. I loved Edward, I loved him so much. But then Caius is here, making me feel safe and loved. He makes me feel wanted and cared for. But... Edward or Caius?

Without even knowing it, Caius kissed me. And he kissed me hard. His hands holding both sides of my face as he pushed me down on the bed with him hovering over me. I felt breathless and surprised.

Caius pulled away, his gaze intently boring into my eyes. The intensity of his eyes is overwhelming as he looked at me hungrily. I didn't know whether I should fear him or not, but my instincts told me that he wouldn't hurt me. So I tried my best to remain calm, but in my current predicament, that's really hard.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered, not giving me a moment to spare as he pressed his lips down on mine. I let out a small whimper through my lips, the feel of his mouth on mine made me feel ecstatic.

But it also felt wrong. So wrong because I loved Edward, and this would count as cheating on him. But yet it felt so right because Caius made me feel like me, he made me feel safe. Like nothing else mattered but me, he made me feel reassured and comforted.

And it's scary because I'm starting to like him.

He pulled away, looking at me like he had made an immoral crime. "I-Isabella, I-"

I looked down, hiding my face from him as I smiled.

"I didn't...Isabella..." He stuttered.

I looked up at him humorously and half smiled. Absentmindedly, I threw myself at him, hugging me tightly. His arms instinctively wrapped around my waist as I sat on his lap.

"I know you're going to apologize. But there's no apology needed." I murmured into the crook of his neck.

"But Isabella-" He pulled me away from him, grasping me by my shoulders. "You're with Edward, I-...it wasn't my place to do that. I'm so sorry. It was unexpected." He bit his lip slightly, shyly looking at me.

"I do love Edward." I nodded. "I still do. I..." I couldn't finish.

"It's okay...I'm just as confused as you are." He whispered, hugging me one last time.

* * *

I sat in the garden alone. Aro sent Alec, Heidi, Demitri and Felix out to investigate where Victoria could be. Jane decided to stay here in the castle to protect it rather than find out where Victoria could be. Victoria is still out to get me. Why would she still be after me if she knew I wasn't in Forks? She knew I'm in Volterra with the Volturi, right? Maybe she overheard Alice tell the Cullens what Victoria had decided and might have slipped out where I could have been without knowing that Victoria could have been eavesdropping. Well, however she found out, she's a sneaky one and won't stop until I'm dead.

"Isabella?" Jane's voice called out to me from the entrance of the garden.

Today Jane looked brighter and happier. Instead of wearing her usual black dress underneath her purple velvet cloak, it was white. It looked really simple but it suited her well. She wore black flats and black nylon leggings. She looked really pretty, for someone who dresses really old fashioned. Her blond hair pinned up with a black barrette.

"I'm here!" I shouted, knowing well that she knew where I was. |

"So what happened?" She said, curiosity playing in her features.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was referring to.

"You and Caius." She muttered, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile.

"What about us?" I questioned, feeling slightly odd about what had happened between us.

"You bonded." She stated, not really making it seem like a question.

"What do you mean, 'we bonded'?" I asked, fully aware of what she meant, but I didn't really want to confront the situation right now.

"You like Caius, don't you?" She teased, quirking her eyebrows.

"No!" I replied defensively. Unfortunately, my cheeks turned bright red which gave away the fact that I was lying. Screw this!

"That's a lie." She giggled, looking at me with amusement.

"I love Edward!" I nearly yelled.

"I know you do." She shrugged. "But you can like more than one person."

"Well...yeah. But it doesn't mean I like Caius! Jane, come on." I begged, hoping she would stop pressuring me into confessing.

"But you kissed him." She pointed at me, and I flushed. I flushed badly. Her eyes lit up and she looked at me with eagerness. "Oh you did! You did!" She squealed, jumping up and down and clapping. She really did remind me of Alice.

"Jane, calm down. You never act like that before!" I remarked, remembering the sullen, scary Jane that always intimidated me.

"Well, you're my friend. I guess I can act more friendly now, can't I?" She looked at me innocently, almost pouting.

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Good, because it's not like I was giving you a choice." She rolled her eyes, her hands on her hips. "Now, spill."

"What is there to spill?" I asked, playing dumb again.

"You don't seem pulchritudinous if you play dumb, Isabella." She retorted, boredom in her eyes again.

"Pulchritudinous?" I repeated, looking at her like a fool.

"Fine. You don't seem very pretty if you play dumb, you're better than that." She rolled her eyes again, sighing.

I had to fight snapping back at her, because I knew she was right. Instead, I growled in frustration. "I'm so confused!" I shouted, falling back on the bench and looking up at the sunny sky of Italy.

"I know." She murmured, joining me on the bench.

"Jane...what do I do? I love Edward. But...Caius..." I shook my head, cringing.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you and Edward weren't meant to be?" She asked, sincerity in her eyes.

I shot up, looking at her angrily. "How could you say that?!"

"If you really loved the first one, than you wouldn't have fallen for the second." She replied to me simply, shrugging.

I opened my mouth to say something witty but I immediately shut it. Jane was right. If I really loved Edward, how come I'm falling for Caius?

"You're right..." I admitted, whispering. My heart was hammering against my rib cage as I thought about leaving Edward. I don't think I could leave him. I still loved him.

"That quote is so full of wisdom." She added, smiling, holding both of her hands together.

"What do I do?" I asked, my voice quiet and careful.

"Follow your heart." She said.

* * *

I roamed the familiar parts of the halls in the Volturi castle. Aro called Jane for assistance in the main throne hall and she told me not to get lost. This time, I planned to stay on the routes of this place that I already know, this way, I won't be able to get off course.

I walked through the hallway and down the hall of my old room when I heard someone play the piano. It reminded me so much of Edward playing, but whoever was playing this, was so much more graceful.

Curiously, I cracked open the door of a room I haven't explored yet. It was Marcus Volturi sitting behind a black grand piano, playing something that I wasn't familiarized with.

"You may enter, Isabella." He muttered, catching me off guard. I wasn't used to having someone knowing my presence without turning around. He kept playing, as if I hadn't disturbed him.

Grant his permission, I walked into the room as silently as I could, listening to him play gracefully. He looked so into it, like all his passion was playing with the notes of the song. This song reminded me of my lullaby.

He finished off smoothly, ending off in a high C.

He turned around to face me, his beautiful face still plastered with that sullen emotion; dead and tired. Although vampires couldn't physically become tired, I hypothesized that maybe he was tired emotionally instead.

"How may I be of your service, Ms. Swan?" He asked, barely staring into my eyes.

"Nothing. Sorry for intruding." I whispered, ready to turn for the door.

"That's all right." He sighed.

"That song you were playing...it was beautiful." I complimented.

A sparkle crossed his eye. "Thank you. It was a song I had written for someone I truly cared about."

"Oh, I see. They must be amazing if you had written this song for them." I interjected.

"I had written this for Didyme." His voice croaked, barely making it to a whisper.

"Your wife?" I asked, hoping I wasn't prying too much in his business.

"Yes." He turned away, but I could see his reflection off of the glossy piano; it was pained and tortured. "I miss her." He confessed.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, remembering Edward telling me that Marcus had lost Didyme a long time ago. Edward didn't tell me the cause of her death, but it must have been brutal if something were to destroy a vampire.

"It's...all right." He excused.

"I'll...go." I muttered, thinking that leaving him alone would make him feel better. It would give him time to recollect his thoughts.

"No, no that's all right. If you wish to stay, you are welcome." He added, his eyes pleading.

"Are you sure? I'm sorry for disturbing you." I apologized again, feeling guilty for bringing up a sensitive topic.

"It isn't your fault." He grinned slightly, touching a key of the piano lightly enough for it to 'tink' throughout the room.

Hoping this would be a good subject changer, I asked, "Do you know any other songs?"

His face lit up. "Well, of course."

Immediately, he began to play a song that sounded similar to that of_ Franz Liszt, La Campanella. _Marcus is brilliant on the piano, Edward was no comparison. If Edward were here, he should take lessons with Marcus. Marcus played like a genius.

At the end of the song, I was gaping. It was amazingly played.

"Oh my gosh." I swore.

He chuckled at my reaction. "Did I do well?"

I looked at him in disbelief, trying to befriend this man. "You know very well that you did incredible."

He slightly smiled at that, and I felt triumphant that the sullen, sad face had disappeared, even just for a little while. It made me feel good that I'm not bothering this ominous vampire. To top it off, I know Caius, Jane, Aro and everyone else tolerates me. Other than Felix and Athenodora. Felix probably hates me for getting him in trouble. Athenodora hates me for being aroud Caius all the time and taking over their bedroom.

Marcus started playing again, a grin on his face as he pressed each key with grace.

I observed him. He reminded me of Edward, in a strange way; the way he played the piano.

I wish the days went by just a little bit faster.


	5. Chapter 5

_Shorter chapter; sorry about that. But I don't want to launch random scenes in here to make it seem longer, it would just confuse you.  
Here we see great improvements between Bella and Caius's relationship.  
I hope ya'll enjoy.  
Thanks for the reviews, we've made our mark. _

* * *

_School has not been kind to me. On January, 25th, I two exams. On January 30th, I have another exam. It doesn't leave me much time to study or write. But I will make time to update - no worries about that._

Next update: January 25th, 2013.

If you guys can hit the** 15** reviews mark, I will get another chapter uploaded by January 20th, 2013.  


* * *

-Chapter 5-

Bella's POV

It wasn't hard to keep up normal conversation with Marcus. Then again, I don't really know what _his _version of normal is when it comes to speech. We talked about different things that caught my attention, like our favorite types of musics, the classic books and philosophy.

Yeah, I know, I'm a very boring person to modern people. But these ancient vampires don't seem to mind, actually, they find me quite interesting. What other teenage girl would read books from the 1500s and listen to classical music?

But throughout our conversation, Jane's words echoed throughout my mind.

_"...there is something that the Masters see in you. I'm not obligated to say what, exactly, for I'm not entirely sure. Master Marcus may, though-" She cut herself off._

I had the urge to ask Marcus what the hell is going on and why they were all treating me weirdly. Most importantly, what is going on between Caius and I? Certainly he would know, he one of the three Kings. He must know.

"Marcus," I nearly stammered, trying to conjure up as much courage as I could.

"What is it?" He asked, lifting his eyes off the various music sheets placed in front of him.

I bit my lip. Should I ask him now? _Of course, you idiot, you wanted to!_

I took a deep breath. "Why are you all treating me so oddly?" _There you go, that wasn't so hard now, was it? What is the worse that Marcus could do? It is an innocent enough question...plus, he also one of the members that wants to keep me here._

He frowned, studying me. His dark red eyes boring into mine as if he were debating whether to tell me or not. I was contemplating whether I should have asked the question or not. Was it too much of a sensitive subject? It couldn't be, I'm just mildly curious.

"Would you care to elaborate?" He asked, uncertainty playing a role in his tone.

I pursed my lips. I sighed. "Why must I stay in Master Caius's chamber?" By this point, just by saying his name, my heart was beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears. Marcus gazed at me, slightly amused.

He put the music sheets down, laying them flat on the black grand piano. He clasped his hands together and a sly smirk was marked on his face.

"Is it much of an importance to you that you must feel so nervous to ask such a question of simplicity?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow. Is this guy playing me?

I put my hands on my hips and had to fight back rolling my eyes. "Well, I am staying there after all. Mustn't I know why I'm there and not in Jane's room? Why not the guest hall?"

He looked at me with admiration. "Very well thought." He remarked. "If you must know, it is for your safety." His answer was too simple.

Far too simple.

"I understand that it is for my safety. If you wanted me to be kept in maximum security, wouldn't you make me stay in Aro's chamber? I've swept by there a couple of times, I've seen the guards there." I muttered.

"Very well." He murmured.

There was a brief silence as I waited for him to answer me.

"Have you ever heard of vampire mates, Isabella?"

* * *

"You mean to tell me that I'm _Caius's _mate?" I asked, full of dismay.

There was no literal way that I could be Caius's mate. I'm Edward's mate! There's just no sane reason how I could possibly be Caius's supposed mate. Doesn't he already have Athenodora? Plus, Edward loves me! And I love him, too. We could barely live without each other during the...separation...a few weeks ago.

My heart is racing, my mind is whirling, I feel like I'm about to pass out at any given moment.

"Logically." He replied nonchalantly. How is he so calm about this?

"No." I whispered. "No! No, it can't be!" I wailed, my voice cracking. I felt a lump form at the base of my throat as I tried to choke back tears.

"I'm sorry if this upsets you-"

"It doesn't necessarily upset me." I stuttered.

"I'm utterly confused, Isabella, why are you upset?" He asked, shaking his head.

"I always thought I was meant to be with Edward." I confessed, my world crashing down before my eyes.

He looked at my sympathetically. "The bond between you and Edward is remarkably strong, almost as if you are mates. But it isn't as strong as the bond between you and Caius." He explained.

I glowered. This means that Edward knew we weren't actually mates...

"He's a liar!" I growled.

"Who is?" Marcus asked, suddenly stunned by my sudden change of emotion.

"He lied to me!" I screamed, running out of the room. Marcus was behind me in a second flat, following me as I stormed out of the hallway.

"Isabella, who lied to you?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Edward. Edward, he lied! He _fucking _lied!" I swore, entering the throne room.

Aro, Jane, Caius, Felix, Heidi, Sulpicia, Corin, Renata as well as several other members were in their already. They all looked at me shocked and surprised at my instantaneous rage.

I was beyond livid even seconds before I left Marcus's chamber. Entering the throne room now, I didn't care who saw me throw a tantrum. I didn't care whether or not they would kill me on the spot.

All I knew was that the person I thought I would end up marrying and spending the rest of my life is lied to me. We aren't soul mates. It's hard to stop loving someone once you've started, and I'm still heads over heals for Edward, but the fact that he lied - well, not particularly lied but didn't tell the entire truth - made me furious beyond all means.

I stood there, with Marcus flanking me. He frowned at me, concerned mostly but also worried. Everyone else just looked shocked. Aro was taken aback, his facial expression told me that he didn't want to cause me any trouble. Everyone else's expressions looked practically the same.

I crossed the throne room, passing through all the statue-like vampires that just stood there looking at me. I left, entering a hallway I knew all too well.

"Bella!" Jane called, her voice echoing all around me.

"Hush, Jane." Marcus warned. "I'll talk to her."

"No." Caius nearly snarled, firmly. "I will."

I entered Caius's room and launched myself onto the bed, hugging a pillow tightly against my chest. I wanted to scream, yell, throw something and hear it smash into tiny little pieces - the way my heart feels.

"Isabella?" A quiet voice that, seemingly, I never get tired of hearing whispered.

"Go away." I muttered, feeling like a child.

I wanted to be alone, to think. I wanted to weep for the fact that Edward didn't tell me that we aren't really soul mates, or supposed to anyway. Although, it felt like we were. Now, I'm not so sure.

"Isabella..." The voice was closer now.

I peered up from the pillow, thankful that I was stained with tears. "What?"

"Get up, please." He whispered, sitting next to me on the bed.

"I don't want to." I replied stubbornly, even though it was the exact opposite of what I wanted to do.

"Please?" He begged, nudging my shoulder.

Limply, I propped myself up on one elbow and then carried my way up as I sat upright.

"Happy?" I muttered, glumly.

"I cannot be happy until you are." He whispered, pulling me into an embrace.

I couldn't hold back anymore; I burst into tears. I wasn't sobbing chaotically, but I was weeping. Tears were flowing for the eightieth time in the past three days.

I hid my face, ashamed of my cowardly nature. But wouldn't you cry if the one who you were so in love with turned out to be something you thought wouldn't have happened ever?

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

I didn't know if I should tell him. I didn't want to make myself seem more like a burden. I'm causing way too much trouble just for a human.

Then again, we did kiss, and I let him. If Marcus was right - if we really are soul mates - then couldn't I trust him with anything and everything?

It just feels so weird, not telling Edward. Not telling Edward that I know what our relationship is really like, how we aren't meant to be mates, but for some reason we can't stay away from each other. I guess we're just in love with each other, whether it was meant to be or not.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." He murmured into my hair.

His words made my heart break; he's so understanding. He doesn't pressure me into doing anything I didn't like, didn't pressure me into sayings anything I don't want to say, doesn't make me feel like I'm obligated to make him happy. He just makes me feel...right. Is that weird?

_Bella, you're so messed up._

I sobered up, my tears gone and my feelings somewhat coming around. I was still angry and hurt, but with Caius here, I seemed to loosen up a bit.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, still holding me tightly in his arms.

"Yeah." I murmured, against his chest.

"What did Marcus tell you?" He asked, curiosity in his voice.

Should I tell him?

"How do you know if it was Marcus who said anything in the first place?" I inquired, my voice still shaky but still audible.

"Ah, so someone did say something." He realized, I could just sense that cocky smirk on his face. "What did Marcus tell you, Isabella?"

He already knows that Marcus said something, no doubt. Marcus was with me when I stormed through the throne hall. I can't hide the truth forever, he'll find out eventually. I don't think lying to one of the Kings of the vampire world would be very impressionable either.

"He..." I hesitated. "He said..."

I couldn't say it.

"He said what, _cara mia_?" His voice filled with concern and wonder. I felt as nervous as ever; does he know that we're supposed mates?

"He said that we're...we're mates." I confessed, my heart throbbing so harshly that I swear I was going to die. Literally, I felt like my heart was going to explode.

I was so afraid Caius was going to blow up, push me away from him, yell at me, deny everything and leave. But he didn't. Instead, he held me closer to him, his hand tangling in my hair at the back of my head as he softly kissed my forehead. I wrapped my arms around him; we were meant to be. Nothing can stop this. Not even Edward; even if I still loved him.

"Now you know." He whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

_Here's Chapter 6!  
Wow, thanks for all the support. I really love reading what you guys have to say; the readers are my inspiration and they are what keeps me going. _

* * *

-Chapter 6-

Bella's POV

"I can't believe you're letting this bitch come between us!" Athenodora screeched as she stormed through the bedroom.

I quickly pulled myself away from Caius, afraid that if Athenodora saw me in his arms, that she would lash out on me.

"Athenodora! How dare you scold me. This is _none _of your concern." Caius retorted, his voice angry. He walked up to her, about a couple of feet away. Athenodora was shorter than he was, in comparison. But Caius towered over her, giving him a more authoritative air.

"This _is_ my concern! You're letting a pitiful, pathetic, little human in the way of our marriage! You are letting her into your life, you are letting her _love _you. You welcome her with open arms...you used to do that with me. What happened, Caius? Why are you doing this?" Athenodora's weak voice trembled.

For a moment, I felt bad for her. But after what Caius told me about her, and how I conjured up my conclusion about her, I no longer felt bad. She's horrible, she's all for the sex, money, and power. She's mentally ill. I swear to it.

"_You _never loved me, Athena! You are using me. Did you honestly think that I wouldn't find out about your little affairs? Especially with a member of our coven? You're a fool to think such a thing..." Caius walked over to my side and unexpectedly lifted me, bridal style.

Within two seconds flat, we were in the throne hall. Anyone who was in there when I had my outburst, was still there now. Except, all of their expressions were more relaxed.

Caius gently put me down so that I was standing on my two feet. He escorted me to the thrones where he told me to stay put. I sat in his throne, which earned me confused stares from the Volturi coven. Jane joined me, standing next to the throne.

Caius walked back to Athenodora, who was livid with anger. Her red eyes were scrutinizing me with such intensity that if looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"This is all _your _fault!" She growled, her eyes focusing on me. She jabbed a finger in my direction. "You did this. You are the reason he doesn't love me anymore." Her eyes suddenly turned black. She took a step forward, lunging, and my eyes widened in fear.

Then she lunged.

In mid-air, she fell to the floor, screaming in agony. For a minute, I didn't understand what was going on. That is until Jane stepped forward.

"You dare attempt to harm a Master's mate?" She hissed, venom leaking in her voice.

I looked over at the rest of the Volturi, who stood still. It was as if none of this affected them. Aro was looking at Jane with pride. Corin and Renata had their arms crossed in front of their chests with smirks on their faces. Sulpicia looked disappointed and little bit saddened as Athenodora lay nearly crippled on the ground. Felix, Alec, Marcus and the others look satisfied, as if their vengeance has been fulfilled.

The ear-splitting scream stopped, and Athenodora sat upright, desperately gasping for air. She looked up at Jane, who towered over her with a sneer on her beautiful face.

"Mate?" She cocked her head to the side.

Caius was at my side in a moment, holding onto my hand. I couldn't focus properly as I watched Athenodora look around skeptically.

"Master Caius's mate. You attempted to attack Master Caius's mate." Jane explained.

Athenodora's black eyes looked at me like black holes. She was beyond angry, beyond furious, further than enraged. If she could be more angry, you might as well call her the Devil.

"Caius's...mate...is _her_?" She spat, glowering at me.

"That would be correct." Jane confirmed. Caius kissed my hand softly, which made my heart flutter.

"I'm his mate!" She said, standing upright.

"No." Marcus interjected. "Isabella is."

"You knew!" She accused, her face looked at everyone as if she had been betrayed. "You all knew! And you didn't bother to tell me. You are all liars!" She fumed, heaving unnecessary air.

She looked everyone, individually. But she rested her eyes on me.

"You will not take my place as one of the Queens of the Volturi." She sneered, then she disappeared.

* * *

"Thanks, Jane." I sighed, hugging her.

"No thanks necessary. We protect who is worth protecting." She winked, the familiar words she had told me earlier repeated.

We were still in the throne hall, and I was still recovering from the alleged attack. I can't seem to get Athenodora's furious face and evil eyes out of my head. It's like a scar in my mind.

"She will never hurt you." Caius promised, and I nodded.

"You should believe him." Jane agreed, smiling.

Aro, Marcus, Alec, Felix and the rest gathered around us, making a semi-circle. The attention brought up on us made me nervous, and I was glad that I was seated or else I would have fallen.

"This could become a slight problem." Alec muttered, twiddling his thumbs in concentration.

"Alec is right." Corin and Renata said in unison.

"Athenodora does not want to give up her position." Felix shook his head. The big bulky man still frightened me, and I looked down at the almost-scarred scratch I had on my arm.

"What is this supposed to mean?" I murmured, slightly shy.

"It means that she has power over you, Isabella. Which she shouldn't. Seeing as you are mated with a leader." Jane said, sadness drawing in her eyes.

"What can we do?" I asked timidly.

"Unless Athenodora decides to resign, then there is nothing we can do." Jane whispers.

My heart drops.

"On top of that, the Cullens are arriving tomorrow." Alec adds, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I thought that they were coming on Friday." I said, frowning.

"Alice said that Victoria has made her final decision." Jane begins. "It is scheduled for tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Victoria...she's arriving tomorrow?

"Don't worry, Isabella, all will be prepared." Aro reassured, a smile forming on his lips.

I nodded. Even though I didn't doubt the Volturi's powers, I still had a feeling that Victoria would kill me despite who I'm with. What if she persuades them into thinking that I'm the bad guy? _Come on, Bella, be reasonable. The Volturi is on your side. Stop worrying._

"Take Isabella up to your chamber, Caius." Aro commanded. "We will start preparing immediately." He turned towards Gianna who was silently standing near one of the hallway entrances. "Gianna, make sure Isabella is well taken care of; meals, toiletries, et cetera. Go." She was off. "The rest of you, meet in the training arena in ten minutes." He turned towards Caius. "As for you, Caius, you may stay with Isabella as long as you please."

The throne hall was empty within two seconds.

All who were left was Caius and I. I looked up at him worriedly.

"Don't worry, there is nothing that we can't handle." He said, cradling my face between his hands.

"Athenodora..." I started, remembering her tantrum.

"She will be taken care of. All is well, Isabella. Don't you worry. All is well." He escorted me out of the throne hall and back up to our chambers.

I laid back down in bed, wrapping myself in the blankets. Caius sat next to me, an arm wrapped protectively around my waist, drawing me closer to him.

"What is wrong, love?" He whispered in my ear. He knew very well what's wrong.

"Victoria, Athenodora...Edward..." I managed to croak the last of the names.

"Victoria and Athenodora will be handled, Isabella. Victoria will not harm you and neither will Athenodora. Athenodora is stubborn and she is only after, well, you know." He insisted, tenderly kissing my temple.

"And Edward?" I asked, his name felt like daggers dragging across the surface of my heart.

I still loved him.

"That is a battle that has yet to be named." He replied.

I sighed. "I'm so confused."

"I know."

"Everything I knew. Everything I _thought _I knew...gone. It's all gone. I knew nothing." I shrugged, feeling defeat overwhelm me. "My love life was a lie. I'm a mere puppet on a string."

Caius's breathing hitched. He took my face in both his hands and stared me straight in the eye.

"But you know now who you belong with. You know who really loves you. You know who didn't lie to you. And you know who would risk their life to make sure that you're safe. I'd do anything for you. Anything." He whispered, his voice desperate.

His words made me feel like I wanted to melt. It warmed my heart to know that he actually cared. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. He knew how to reassure me. He knew all the things that Edward didn't.

"And it's okay that you still love him." He added. The look in his eyes told me that saying those last words were the hardest thing he has ever done. The hurt and pain in them made me want to crumble into a million pieces.

"No, Caius, it isn't." I disagreed, shaking myself from his hold.

He didn't say anything.

"It isn't." I repeated.

"If I have learned anything from the three millenniums that I have existed, this would be the most valued one:_ you can't help who you love_." He murmured.

I couldn't say anything to justify that. We can't help who we love. It's just a fact of life.

We can't do anything to change that.

* * *

"Is everyone prepared?" Aro announced.

I woke up this morning with a pang of nervousness. Today's the day that the Cullens will be arriving from Forks. They're going to see how much I've changed. They're going to see how everything's going - how I'm doing.

Then they're going to find out about Caius and I.

To wrap everything up with a pretty little blue bow, Victoria and her newborn army is going to attack the Volturi castle tonight. All of this was too overwhelming, but that's what I get for being too curious and trying to befriend Edward.

He was right when he told me we shouldn't be friends. I should've listened.

"Yes, Master." They all replied in unison.

Everyone was prepared. They had their cloaks on; the dark purple velvet with the golden button holding it together on their chest. They all looked identical. Their hoods up, they red eyes piercing, their pale faces determined and their attitude dominant.

The only one out of place would be me.

"Perfect. The Cullens will be arriving soon. Victoria and her army will be expected tonight. Stay on guard. And don't let _her_," He nodded in my direction. "be alone."

"Yes, Master." They replied again.

I stood next to Jane, who insisted on accompanying me as my body guard during the battle. I don't know what Caius had planned, but he was probably more nervous than I was about the battle; he's being extra protective and making sure that I was feeling alright - which I was.

"Everyone to your posts." Aro dismissed everyone.

The only people who are staying in the throne hall are Felix, Alec, Jane, and the three leaders. I was to sit in Caius's throne when the Cullens arrive. Caius will be standing beside me.

"The Cullens will be arriving shortly, Master." Jane informed.

"Splendid." Aro muttered, intently staring down the hall where I suppose the Cullens were going to be coming through.

Within a few minutes of waiting, I grew confident. I don't know why, but I did. I felt like everything will be okay. But I know that not everything will be alright, that there is some sort of fluke to come with all this. My life won't be handed to me perfectly.

Suddenly, I heard light tapping of footsteps coming through the hall. Felix came into view, with a sly smile on his face. Then slowly, I saw a pale figure walking out of the hallway, following Felix. One after the other, in a single filed line, they all entered the throne hall.

Then they stood next to each other.

"Welcome." Aro announced, in a bored tone.

The Cullens lifted their heads up, and their eyes all flashed onto mine; Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice...and Edward.

They all looked confused, shocked and appalled. I stared back at them, my expression blank. The only one who could know how I feel would be Jasper. Thanks to his emotion sensor.

"Bella..." Alice whispered, her voice surprised and confused.

I smiled weakly. "Hi, Alice."

Caius protectively took my hand in his, and I let him. My expression apologetic towards the Cullens. They looked at me, they looked beyond shocked. Carlisle and Esme looked so confused and desperate. Rosalie and Emmett looked like they didn't know what to think. Alice and Jasper...they looked so confused, shocked and surprised. Alice looked heartbroken.

But not as heartbroken as Edward did. He practically looked dead. He looked like he hadn't done, said or felt anything since he last saw me. He looked absolutely destroyed. And I felt responsible for that.

Jane gracefully walked to my other side, and rested her arm on the chair. A small smirk playfully curving on her lips.

"No..." Edward whispered.

I frowned at him, and I had the strong urge to get up and hug him.

"No!" He growled, his voice louder.

"Edward, calm down." Alice told him, but he didn't listen to her.

"NO! You took her away from me!" Edward suddenly yelled.

What is he talking about?

"She doesn't love you. She loves _me_. You've all brainwashed her!" He scolded Caius. This got me mad. How dare he talk to him that way!

"I have not been brainwashed!" I retorted, suddenly defensive.

"Bella, please. Whatever they told you; it's a lie. You don't really love him, do you?" He asked me, nodding towards Caius.

I looked at Caius, who stood their sullenly, not meeting my eyes.

"I-I can't answer that." I stuttered. The pressure from them made me want to hide under a rock.

He stared at me intently. His golden irises burning deep into my soul. I winced.

"You're willing to throw everything we had away? Bella, what changed? Is it because I let you stay with them? Is that why you decided to love someone else?" He croaked, he stepped forward.

Felix, Jane, Alec and a couple of guards stepped forward, blocking Edward approaching me.

"Stop it, Edward, it's too much for her to handle." Esme begged. I was thankful she stood up for me, all these questions he was throwing at me were too hard for me to answer. I couldn't answer them now, I was still so confused with my feelings. I don't know what to feel.

"You cannot come near her." Aro declared, his monotonic voice now defensive.

All the Cullens frowned.

"Well, why not?" Rosalie spat, impatiently.

"We cannot risk her life. Especially since she is a mate to a coven member." Aro's voice was slightly amused, which seemed to intimidate all of them. They all scrutinized him.

"We already know that she's Edward's mate." Emmett spoke up, sounding infuriated.

There was a pause.

"Not necessarily _your _coven." Aro said carefully.

The line of guards dividing us and the Cullens disappeared, as they stood back to their posts. Jane joined me again. This time, I looked at the Volturi's expression, to find them all amused and cocky. I, on the other hand, felt nervous and unsure. How will this be explained to them?

"No!" Edward shrieked, now he was being held back by two Volturi guards. I looked at him with sadness in my eyes, as I watched the vampire I still loved being held back. The hurt in his eyes were evident and I knew that he knew exactly what's happening. "She's mine!"

"I'm afraid she isn't." Marcus had spoken for the first time in a while.

Everyone's eyes widened. Marcus never really spoke in front of the Cullens too much. But when he did, it was to defend a statement or to express and opinion.

"Elaborate, will you, brother?" Aro muttered, as he returned to his throne.

"Why, of course." Marcus gestured for Caius and I to stand up. Jane followed closely beside me.

We faced the Cullens. I looked directly into Edward's eyes, absorbing the pain he felt. He stared at me, so distraught and broken. If I wasn't mated to Caius, I would have jumped right into his arms - and I bet that's what he was waiting for.

But I stood my ground and stared back at him apologetically. I hate to see him like that; all broken and pained. But was there really anything I could do?

"If you must know; Isabella isn't Edward's mate." Marcus began. Rosalie, Esme and Alice gasped, looking at Edward and I surprisingly. I just remained emotionless. "And you're little coven member knew it, too."

"Edward!" Alice growled angrily. "How could you keep that from us?

"What the fuck's wrong with you, man?" Emmett scolded him.

"Calm down, children." Carlisle commanded, and they remained silent.

The eyes of the Volturi all settled upon them, giving them this air of inferiority.

"I have a question for you, Edward Cullen." Marcus demanded calmly. "What were you planning to do with her?"

Edward widened his eyes and gulped.

I haven't thought about that. What exactly did he have in store for me if he knew I wasn't his mate? Was he going to change me to see if I actually is his mate? Was he planning on marrying me?

Or did he just want to kill me?

"I-I..." He stammered, and I frowned.

"Spit it out, boy!" Marcus sneered harshly.

"I don't know!" He replied frantically, looking like a child with his arms flailing everywhere.

"Did you plan on killing her?" Marcus asked, his expression anything but friendly.

"No! No, I actually love her." He admitted, but I crossed my arms, trying to press down the pain I felt in my chest because of his confession.

"Do you really?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." He nodded, staring me straight in the eye.

He does love me.

"That's unfortunate." Marcus stated, turning around towards the throne with his hands behind his back.

There was a brief silence.

"If...if Edward isn't mated to Bella...then who is?" Alice proposed, her forehead creasing.

"Take a guess." Marcus smirked.

It was then when Caius wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. Jane stood close by, in case if anything happened. But this is the only non-verbal way to tell them, it's easier showing them instead of telling them.

They gasped, their eyes still wide but the fear as evident in their eyes. They can't take me away now.

"No..." Edward whimpered. "No, Bella, please!"

"Escort the Cullens away, Felix. But keep Alice and Edward here." Aro demanded.

Then they were gone, all except for Alice and Edward.

"Bella, please." He whispered brokenly. "I still love you."

I untangled myself from Caius and moved towards Edward. Jane and Caius were hesitant, but I shook them off; signalling that I would be fine.

"Edward, I can't." I shook my head.

"Please. You know deep down that we belong together." He begged, his voice practically pleading.

"No, we don't. I don't belong to you." I whispered, my voice starting to tremble.

"Bella, Bella, please. You've got to snap out of it. They've brainwashed you into thinking that. They did it so that you would become part of their guard - they know your potential." He reasoned.

I frowned a little bit and looked at the ground. Edward made a remarkable point, and I've thought of that before, too. I knew that Aro was dying to have me be part of their guard. It was one of the reasons why I'm still alive. But I also know that they care for me.

And that they haven't lied to me.

"I know. But they haven't brainwashed me, Edward." I replied, still frowning.

"What about what we had? Did that mean nothing to you?" He was desperate now, if it meant that he had to bring up memories.

"It used to, Edward. It used to. I love you, I always will." I looked back at the Volturi and their expectant gazes. "Just not as much as before."

Now that I've finally told him how I felt, it didn't seem so bad. I thought it to be more painful and heartbreaking, and maybe it was, but I felt numb. I felt numb to the entire situation.

"Bella." He growled sternly, and immediately grabbed my arm. He squeezed it so hard that I yelped.

"Edward, Edward, stop! It hurts!" I squeaked, trying to pry my wrist from his hold.

Suddenly, he broke down into a heap of pain. He grip was loose enough for me to be free and I ran back to Caius, holding my arm along the way. The pain was searing, but I can handle it.

"You dare injure the mate of our leader?" Jane demanded to the whimpering Edward.

I glared at him. He intentionally hurt me.

"Caius, take her to Carlisle to get her arm checked. It must be broken." Aro commanded.

We exited the throne hall and down a dark hallway. Caius was silent the entire time, but I could feel the rage radiating off of him. He's angry.

We stopped in front of a wooden door and he opened it ruthlessly. I cradled my injured arm, looking into the eyes of the Cullens.

"She's injured." Caius announced. "And your son is to blame."


	7. Chapter 7

_Here's a long chapter for those of you who have been waiting for longer than you should.  
I hate it when people take too long to update, but as long as if they have a good reason, then that's okay.  
I, for one, have a decent reason.  
Exams. Yay! That's my whole reason. I have provincials, and they count for a lot more than I could imagine. It could be my ticket into a University, or not.  
So, it's a big deal for me.  
But nonetheless, I updated, for you. And the chapter is super long.  
Please read (: I hope you enjoy. _

* * *

Bella's POV

"Be careful!" Caius sneered harshly at Carlisle, who was tending my broken arm.

Apparently Edward crushed my ulna and radius bone. I can't even turn my hand or else I will be in steering pain. Carlisle said that I will need an operation, without one, my bones might not heal properly like they should. Which also means that I will have to take anesthetics to numb to pain. I can't handle blood, so hopefully he'll give me some anesthesia to put me to sleep.

"I'm fine." I reassured Caius, but he was not happy.

Alice came in moments later, her face still shocked and stunned. She could probably portray The Scream if she wanted to.

"Bella, we'll wrap this up for now and I suggest you do not move without assistance. We will operate on you tomorrow, if possible." He pursed his lips.

"Fix her now." Caius demanded, an edgy, dark tone crept into his voice.

"No, I can wait." I disagreed, pushing Carlisle's hand away.

Caius met my gaze with an infuriated, almost dangerous expression. His eyes were black and looked angry.

"You will have the operation tonight. End of discussion." He fled out of the room without a single glance back.

"How sweet." Rosalie sneered, sarcastically.

"He has a little temper. It's fine." I shrugged.

I don't understand why Edward hurt me so badly. Did he do it out of anger? Or did he simply forget that I'm not as strong as he is? But it's okay, I don't think he meant it intentionally...right?

"Where's Edward?" Esme murmured quietly, looking at Alice expectantly.

Alice's head snapped up, her hands trembling.

"He's being held back by the Volturi. They're not letting him out of their sight." Alice whispered, she sounded like she was about to drop down to her knees and sob. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." I muttered. It's not her fault, either.

"So, how are you, Bella?" Esme asked, avoiding the subject.

"Fine." I whispered.

I didn't expect this to feel so awkward between us. Now that they know about my relationship and the problems along with it, I don't know how to react around them. It's been no more than a week since I last saw them - since I last felt normal around them - and now it feels like we're total strangers. It's just so different, so weird. So much can change in such a little amount of time.

I don't want to get in over my head.

"You and Caius, huh?" Rosalie interjected, a slight smile spreading across her face.

I nodded.

"What about Athenodora?" Emmett babbled. Rosalie slapped him.

"Shut up, Emmett." She hushed him.

"No, really, what about her? Isn't she one of the Queens?" He asked, intrigued.

I nodded. "Yeah, she still is."

"Still?" Rosalie's eyes widened.

"Yeah. She won't resign." I bit my lower lip, remembering her angry tantrum she threw in the throne hall.

"Of course not, she is persuasive and powerful with that status." Emmett retorted, in a 'duh' expression.

"I know that." I snapped, my eyes hardening.

Yes, she's one of the Queens of the vampire world because she is supposedly married to Caius. They were just 'together'. Now that I find out that they aren't really mated, does that make me the next Queen? Doesn't that automatically eliminate her from the Queen status? It seems like it's a first-come first-serve kind of thing.

"And what about Edward?" Emmett babbled. I shot him a dirty look. Rosalie caught on because she slapped him directly on the back of his head.

"Ouch, Rose." He rubbed the back of his head with his palm.

"Be more sensitive, Emmett!" She hissed.

"My head's getting there." He complained.

Rosalie averted her attention towards me.

"How did this happen?" She asked me, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

I shrugged. "It just...did."

"But Caius is so introverted and discrete. It's so hard to conjure up a situation where the both of you actually talked to each other." Emmett interjected.

"Emmett!" Rosalie slapped him again.

"Sheesh, Rose. I'm just makin' a damn point!" He cursed.

"Language." Esme said sternly.

"Sorry." Emmett mumbled, unapologetically.

"It's easy to those who are mated to each other." A familiar voice came from the doorway.

I spun around to see Marcus standing on the threshold.

"Master Marcus." They all gasped in unison.

"Hey, Marcus." I muttered, giving him a grateful smile.

"Hello." He replied simply.

"What do we owe the pleasure?" Carlisle spoke up first, in a polite tone.

"I came to inform you about tonight's schedule." He implied, his eyes darting towards me. My stomach did flips as I remembered what he meant. "Isabella, since you will not be taking part of the battle, I suggest you go to the throne hall at once...Jane?" He called.

Jane was at his side in a second flat, her eyes searching for mine. Once she met mine, she walked over to me and grabbed my hand. "Come on." She whispered, and took me out.

She led me to the throne room.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"I need to tell you something." She whispered, her voice so low I could barely make out what she had just said.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern filling me. What else could go wrong at a time like this? _Only you, Bella. Only you. _

"It's about Edward." She informed me, her eyes hard and serious.

"What about him?" I inquired, monotone.

"He still believes that you are his mate." She replied.

"Didn't he read anyone's mind? He should know that I'm not just by looking at what they're thinking." I reasoned, I began to feel panicked.

If Edward still thought that we are mates, does that mean he expects me to come back to him? Doesn't he know that I was meant to be here? I was meant to be somewhere for once. And I'm not going to let him take that away from me. All my life, I've been practically an introvert - an average girl. Now that I know about all _this_, it must mean something.

It must mean I was _meant _for this world. This is who I'm supposed to be.

"He's not convinced." She shook her head.

"Marcus said that we were mates - that he can see our bond. Doesn't that count for something? Is that not convincing enough?" I rambled, distress overwhelming me.

She shook her head again. "He doesn't care about that. He still loves you. And love knows no boundaries." She murmured, taking my hands in hers. "You have to convince him, Bella. He'll only listen to you."

"He'll think I'm delusional!" I strained.

"That may be, but at least he'll hear it from you. Maybe he'll give up." She suggested.

"He's not like that." I defended Edward.

"Oh yeah?" She challenged me, letting my hands go. She walked to the center of the throne room. "What happened when he thought you were dead?" She said, her voice echoing throughout the room. I was afraid someone might hear this conversation.

I remained silent, quietly fearing Jane.

"He was going to commit suicide." She spat, her face hard and angry. "Do you honestly think he won't quit again?"

"Yeah, I do." I said, confidence drowning my mood.

"Why is that?" She asked, curiously.

"Because he wants me. If I'm not alive, then he won't want to be either. If I'm wasn't here, he wouldn't be here. He really believes that I'm meant for him. But we're not." Her face slowly grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Do you believe me now?" Her eyes had a far away look in them, as if she were looking right through me.

"What?" I quietly whispered, distraught and confused. She nodded her head, telling me to look behind.

Slowly, I turned around and my heart stopped dead in its tracks.

Edward was there; held back by two Volturi guards.

"Edwa-"

"So it is true!" He growled at me, making me flinch.

"Uh..."

"Spit it out, god damn it, Bella!" He roared.

Without a moment's hesitation, I replied, "Yes."

He stood still, not resisting the Volturi's hold on him. He looked at me - more like _glared _at me. The only thing I can sense from his is that he was seething with anger. He looked absolutely livid.

"You still love me." He said, his voice full of disbelief.

I looked at him in horror, and surprise. "After what you did to me?" I lifted my injured arm as best as I could. "_Fuck_, no." I put my arm back down and it throbbed in pain.

"I didn't do that to you! Blame Caius! He got me angry and I lashed out on you. I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." He whispered the last part.

It was true, I had lost all my love for Edward once he broke my arm. It made me realized how dangerous _he _really is. He has a temper, probably worst than Caius's, and I just never really acknowledged the fact that he can hurt me. Despite my words. I was just too in denial, loving his beauty and his immortality more than I loved reality and consequences.

Going back now, it never felt like he loved me. Yeah, he was affectionate. But he was abusive. In the parking lot at school, when he grabbed my arm and took my to his car, his voice threatening when he told me I didn't see nothing - he was referring the near accident I had with Tyler Crowley. Take that as exhibit A. Exhibit B? Well, look at what he had done to my arm. If that's not proof enough, then what is?

I slowly approached him, my heels making ticking noises as I emphasized my approach. Once I was no more than six inches away from him, I whispered, "You're not  
sorry."

"You know that I am!" He sneered, his voice lurking towards the dark side. "YOU KNOW THAT I AM FUCKING SORRY!"

"If you were," I tempted. "then why are you yelling at me? Usually, if you wanted someone's forgiveness, you would be more gentle. You're doing anything but." I reasoned, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, cockiness and sarcasm flow through me. Maybe Caius is getting to me.

He opened his mouth to reply but shut it immediately.

I hmph-ed. "That's what I thought."

"Take him away." Jane commanded the guards, as I made my way back to her.

I felt dizzy and tired.

"Wow, didn't know you had it in you." She remarked, slightly abashed.

"Y-yeah..." I stammered.

Jane frowned for a minute and examined me. "Are you okay? You don't look well."

I faked laughter, and it didn't sound convincing. "Yeah." I smiled, weakly.

Honestly, I wasn't feeling all too well. I felt this knot in the pit of my stomach and I felt uneasy; terrified even. Perhaps it was because I stood up to Edward - something I'm not use to doing. Or it could be the discrete fact that Caius is somewhat mad and it's affecting me.

"No, no you're not. Bella, you're shaky!" She exclaimed.

I felt myself slip underneath me, my legs buckling. Thanks to vampires extreme capabilities and amazing reflexes, Jane was able to catch me before I injured another part of myself right before the big battle.

"Carlisle!" Jane shouted, though I'm very certain he could hear us from out here anyway.

In a flash, Carlisle was in the throne room immediately. So were the Cullens and the Volturi leaders and their guards - all except for Caius.

"Yes, Jane?" He smiled, but that smile faded when he saw my fable state.

"Is she alright?" Carlisle asked, examining me in Jane's arms.

"Of course not!" Jane snapped, her voice concerned and erratic.

"Let me take a look at her." He suggested, his arms open wide for me. Jane reluctantly placed me in Carlisle's arms and I hid my head in shame. How many times could a girl possibly hurt herself in one day? Not to mention, in ten minutes.

"Maximum of thirty minutes. We still have strategies to go over." Jane sneered.

"I have some sugg-" Jasper was cut off.

"We'll handle it, Major." She walked off in the opposite direction, but turned back around and looked over her shoulder. "I assure you, if we need your help, we'll ask." She glanced at me courteously, then she was gone in the pitch black hallway that I wouldn't dare to go through alone.

I looked at the Cullens, who were appalled and unsure of what to do.

"Come on, Bella, we'll see what's wrong." Carlisle grinned, as we sped away to the room I was in previously before.

* * *

It turns out, I have anxiety.

Carlisle said it might be because of all these things happening to me - seeing Edward again, Caius and his temper and Victoria's plans. It was a surprise to me - the sudden diagnosis. But I should have seen this coming. All this is too much for a petty little human - as I remember Athenodora describing me - to handle. I'm not like them, I'm not a vampire. I can't do as much as they can, and I certainly cannot handle all of this at once.

"I can't believe this is happening to me." I muttered, my voice sounding shallow and gargled. "I mean, there are others who have it worse. But I never thought something like this would happen. I was just so average, so plain. I thought I would just grow old with my husband on a porch somewhere nice and warm. I thought I would be mentally stable, put-together, and have everything well thought out. But I don't. I'm so nervous, so scared, I don't know what to do. I never know what to do. I just go with it; thinking that I'm doing the right thing.

But I'm not. I'm lost in a world that I thought I belonged in. I really don't belong here, I was just so nosy and had to pry in everyone's business. If I never tried to find out who Edward was-_is_, I wouldn't be here. I would be at school, best friends with Jake, and living a good life.

I guess being diagnosed with anxiety was my reality check. It made me realize I was human, and nothing will change. Caius is mad at me. Edward is furious. The Cullens and the Volturi think I'm an idiot, probably.

I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere.

I guess...I guess this is just what I get, you know?" I whispered desperately into the phone Jane had let me use yesterday.

"I get it, Bells." Jacob's rough voice answered back. I've missed this guy more than anything in my entire life. I finally convinced them to leave me alone, just for a little while, and once I was done with this, they could lock me up in whatever room that they wanted.

I'm in the garden, alone. I'm sure no one is eavesdropping on me, because I gave them strict orders to leave me alone and I'm praying that they're living up to that. I memorized Jacob's number by heart, and when he answered it. I was more than relieved. He was really shocked, relieved, and thankful I was alive. For now.

"You don't need to feel that way, honey. You're worth more than you believe you do. You belong in my world, Bells. You always had. I would be perfect for you; I still _could _be perfect for you. All you do is just tell me, okay, sweetie? Just tell me, and I'm there. I'll always be there. You don't have to be apart of their world. You're always welcome in mine." He murmured, and I smiled at his heartwarming words.

"You share the same worlds. As long as you know of their existence, and you still have that treaty, and you still do what you do to protect Forks, then you'll always be a part of the same world as they do." I reasoned, realizing that I still don't belong anywhere.

"We're alive for different reasons, Bells. We're here to protect. They're here to kill. And as long as humans are still around and those sleazy leeches, then so are we." He said defensively. I cringed at his nickname for them. They aren't killers. Not all of them. Vegetarian vampires - like the Cullens - help humans. They feed off animals instead of humans. They're not murderers.

"I know." I whispered, I paused. "I've missed you, Jake."

"I've missed you, too. I didn't believe for a moment that you've gone missing. That's the word going about around here, that you're missing somewhere in Washington. I don't know how the Cullens managed to pull that off, considering you bought a ticket to Italy. Yeah, we've been snooping about around their house, trying to see if they know something. We've kept our thoughts close-minded, though. So that dumbass of a boyfriend you call Edward couldn't detect us." He chuckled.

My breathing hitched.

"Bella? What's wrong?" He inquired, seeming to understand that something isn't right.

"It's...I...um." I stammered, trying to figure out a way to put my next thoughts into words.

"Bells?" He called, sounding alarmed.

"I'm...not with Edward anymore." I sighed, it felt like huge boulders were taken off my back. It felt like my prayers have been answered. It felt like I was free.

"What? That's fantastic!" He burst. "I mean, horrible. Bells, I'm so sorry." He said, but he sounded anything but apologetic.

"Don't pretend Jake." I cracked a smile. "I'm glad we're over, too."

"So...I suppose you're single now?" He inquired, I could just sense his smirk plastered on his face.

"Not exactly." I bit my lip, waiting on his next line.

"What do you mean...?" He asked, sounding confused and a little disappointed.

"I have a boyfriend." I muttered, seething as the word 'boyfriend' is not very suitable for this situation.

"A boyfriend? You've been away for a week and you already got a new boyfriend? Who is it this time? Is it Dr. Fang?" He inquired, and I laughed loudly.

"Ew, no, Jake! Be rational! That's so weird, I can't go out with him. Plus, he's already mated with Esme. You knew that!" I screeched, laughing at Jacob's thinking.

He chuckled at my reaction. "I knew that, Bells. So who is it, then?"

I stayed quiet for a while, preparing myself for his reaction.

"Don't keep me waiting in suspense, Bella!" He whined.

"Caius." I whispered.

"Who's Caius?" He asked.

"Caius. Caius Volturi." I confessed.

There was a pause at the end of the line. "WHAT THE FUCK!" He shouted, and I nearly threw the phone on the ground.

"Jake, Jake, please calm down." I begged, cringing.

"You're dating the leader of the vampire world? What the fuck, Bella! Do you know how dangerous he is? They're not fucking vegetarians like your beloved Cullens. They're mass murderers, Bells. They can kill you-"

"But they won't!" I yelled back, cutting him off.

Now, I was pretty sure that the entire castle heard me.

"You don't know that." He breathed hard into the phone. His voice was hard and stern.

"I do know that!" I retorted.

"You don't get them like I do." He disagreed, disbelief flooding his tone.

"I know them better than you-"

"No you don't."

"I do, and they're not goi-"

"Shut it, Bella. You do-"

"I do so!"

"You don't know what's good for you."

"Yes I do, Jake-"

"SHUT IT, BELLA! THEY CAN KILL YOU! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THEY CAN SLAUGHTER YOU FASTER THAN YOU CAN BLINK? YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH, BELLA. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE IN ITALY. I should have guessed. I should have known all along." He breathed in hard.

I was hyperventilating, tears stinging my eyes as I prepared myself to shut the phone off.

"I'm coming to get you, Bella. Wait for me, baby. Wait for me."

"No, Jake, please!" I attempted to beg, but the line was dead.

I shakily shut the phone off, and laid it on the bench. I took a deep, trembling breath in and as I breathed out, I cried. I let them fall, not trying to stop them this time.

Jacob doesn't understand.

And if he doesn't understand...then I have no one.

* * *

"Bella, we have to go now." Jane whispered, tugging me out of the garden.

I didn't say anything back to her. I didn't feel like talking, not after having my talk with Jake. He's coming to Volterra, probably taking his whole pack with him. He seemed to know who the Volturi was, so I'm guessing he knew where to find me. I believe him when he says he's coming. Nothing ever stopped Jacob when he set his mind to something. He's determined, he always has been.

"You'll stay in the same room as always." She breathed.

I entered the room and curled up in a ball on Caius's bed.

"Renata and Corin will be out here. I have to be present when Aro explains to them what to do." She smiled kindly.

"Wait." I murmured.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Yes?"

"Where's Caius?" I asked. My heart pounding hard in my chest.

"He's...somewhere." She responded hesitantly, then she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Renata and Corin weren't outside the door, so I went about through the hallways. They were all just as dark as the others, lit up dimly but the light peering through the stained glass windows or the small little candles that let off little black smoke with every flicker.

I pondered through the hallways, wondering what could be behind every door. I made assumptions, as usual.

I wandered into a hallway that I found rather intriguing. It was wide and had more inscriptions on the walls and neat patterns on the pillars. There were stained glass windows as a roof on the ceiling, so it wasn't too dark.

I looked to my left, and saw an engraving on double doors. _CV_, it read. It was in cursive, elegantly and carefully encrypted. I cautiously approached the door, my fingertips tracing the outline of the golden letters. I breathed in. _What could be behind this door? _I wondered. Out of my dangerous curiosity, I opened the door.

I gasped slightly, as I saw Caius sitting at his desk, his head resting in his hands and his fingers through his blonde hair, tugging at it harshly.

"Caius...?" I whispered nervously.

He looked up at me, his eyes black and hard. He looked stressed, angry and disappointed all at the same time.

"I'll go." I suggested, turning to the door.

"No. Don't." He commanded.

I stood still, only facing him halfway. Silence filled the woodsy smelling room. There were books everywhere, just like Aro's office. Except Aro less artwork and literature on his walls.

"I don't understand...what I did wrong..." I began, approaching the seemingly touchy subject.

"You didn't do anything wrong." I observed from my peripheral vision that he shook his head. "Don't you think for a moment that you did anything wrong."

I glanced at him, and he was close to me. A foot away, at the most.

"Why are you so mad at me?" I asked, a slight shiver running down my spine.

Without knowing it, he kissed me. Harshly, he pressed me up against the door and ran his hands in my hair, tugging at it, begging for me to return the favor. And I did. My fingers curled in his long blonde hair, pulling him towards me. I breathed in, internally smiling and mesmerizing his scent.

His lips were on soft, but the kiss was anything but. He pulled away, letting me gasp for air and I locked my good arm around his neck, hanging my head as I tried to catch my breath.

"Isabella," He purred my name. "I was never mad at you."

I looked up at him incredulously. "What?"

"I was never mad at you." He whispered in my ear, sending more pleasant chills down my spine.

"Why...why did you leave me with them, then? You seemed to angry." I said, looking up at his black eyes.

"I couldn't stand to see you in such pain." He looked away from me but gently picked up my bandaged arm. "To see that betrayal in your eyes when someone who you thought you loved hurt you."

"He didn't mean to-"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" He growled, and I started to get scared. He pressed me up against the wall and pressed one hand above my head, firmly against the door. "He meant to do that, Isabella. He meant to do that, he meant to hurt you. He's seething with jealousy and he wants you. He wants to take you away from me, don't you get that?" He said, his face an inch away.

"I-I know. I told him that indirectly." I said shakily.

"That's not going to stop him." He shook his head and took a step back. "He's not going to want to give you up."

"That's what scares me." I added, smiling weakly.

He hugged me, his arms wrapping around my waist. "He won't take you away." He promised, his tone edgy and dark.

"There's one more thing I have to tell you..." I pulled away, looking away.

"What is it?" He inquired, frowning.

It took all of my will to tell him. I had to tell him, if I don't, then he will find out anyway, and the result won't be pretty. And if I do tell him, then we have time to think ahead and plan what we're going to do. Because there is no way in hell that I'm going home right now. Not now.

"Jacob Black is coming for me...and I think he's bringing the pack."


	8. Chapter 8

_Next chapter!  
I hope I'm doing good, if you guys have questions about this story, please tell me.  
**Please check out my poll on my profile. Thanks :) **_

* * *

-Chapter 8-

Bella's POV

Caius backed away from me, breathing in hard and fast. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair several times, attempting to calm down. But as the seconds went by, he only seemed to have grown angrier. I didn't know what to do when he acted like this, so I remained silent as I waited for him to calm down.

"Bella..." He used my nickname for the first time, his voice firm and stern. "How did this happen?"

My bottom lip quivered. "I called him." I confessed, remembering the recent conversation with my so-called best friend.

"You _called _him? Did you give away your location, too?" He muttered, sarcastically. I looked at him with dismay and hurt.

"I needed to talk to someone who understood me!" I defended myself, raising my voice. "He's the only one who ever has. The past week here has been rough on me, I needed to confide in someone."

"So you consulted someone who is our enemy?" He asked, incredulously and angrily. I pressed down the lump forming in my throat.

"But he wouldn't hurt you. Not if I say so." I said again.

"Oh you think you can just control someone's actions by the simple sound of your words?" He challenged me.

The Caius I had fallen for was long gone. He disappeared just like my hope had in us. He looked at me, as if I were just another human to him. The regret, resent and anger in his eyes indicated that he wasn't happy with me. That it disgusted him to see me.

"I was just trying to feel better! So that I won't stop bothering you all with my petty human problems." I sneered, gripping the handle to the door tightly, my knuckles turning white.

"That doesn't matter!" He growled, slamming his hand on his desk. I heard a slight crack from the desk, realizing the strength he had, I wanted to run. So I turned the doorknob of the door, opened it slim enough so that I could just make a run for it. Before leaving, I looked over my shoulder with a cold hard stare.

"I'm sorry that I caused so much trouble. I won't bother you anymore." My voice about the crack.

I left the room in a hurry, the tears springing to my eyes rapidly as I made my way back to the room I was assigned to. This time, Renata and Corin were outside the door, with concerned expressions on their face as soon as they saw my tear streaks.

"Isabella-"

"Just leave me alone. I've been too much of a bother to all of you."

To you, maybe I was being melodramatic, I overreacted or give myself too much self-pity. And maybe you're right. But I couldn't take this anymore. I felt so scared, so alone, so lost. My heart was racing so fast and I felt paranoid all of a sudden.

I started to hyperventilate, the tears still pouring from my eyes, staining the bed sheets.

"No..." I whispered shakily, as I tried to calm down my erratic sobs. "They don't care..." I murmured repeatedly. "They really don't."

* * *

I fell asleep quickly, after my breakdown. Remembering why I broke down, I still find that Caius's words were hurtful and unfair to me. He was mate, for heaven's sake, and he treated me like dirt. He didn't care about the fact that I was feeling broken and lost. He didn't acknowledge that maybe the werewolves coming here is a good idea.

The werewolves can fight with us, defend us. They've fought with the Cullens before, teaming up when it came to tracking down Victoria. But I think it was just out of the kindness of their friendly alliance. But they still worked as a team.

I woke up, but didn't bother to make it sound so evident. I just wanted to lay here, and feel as sorry for myself as I possibly can.

"You're such an idiot!" I heard a childlike voice hiss. "She's gone through a lot, and you treat her like fucking trash! Excuse my language, Master. But this is about your mate. Don't you care for her?"

It was Jane who has spoken.

"Of course I do!" He whispered harshly.

"Then maybe you should start thinking about her. She has anxiety, Caius. It might not seem like much to you, but it's still a mental problem. She can't help it. She needs you. And I know you need her, too." I heard the silent ticking of Jane's heels as she pondered back down the hallway.

There was slight noise outside my door, it sounded like someone muttering to themselves in an alienated language. Alertly, I heard the sound of the door opening. I tried to remain as calm as possible, my breathing regular and my heart beat steady, so it would seem as if I was sleeping.

"Isabella..." Caius murmured, pleadingly. "I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry for offending you. I'm so sorry for lashing out on you. I'm so sorry that you have been brought into this world of war, anger and death and you didn't have a choice. I'm so sorry that you are having troubles dealing with this. And I admit, this is all my fault, too. I haven't been making this any easier on you, and I should. I've let out all my anger on you, which is the opposite of what I should be doing.

I'm such a fucking mess.

I need you, Isabella.

I need you more than you need air." He whispered, there was light steps walking around the room, but I didn't hear him leave the room.

There was shuffling around the room, as if someone were stacking books along shelves, or flipping pages of a book. He wasn't going to leave. It's not like I expect him to, it is his room. I focused on other things.

His words kept replaying in the back of my mind, and I had to fight the tears that were pooling in my eyes. _How many tears can I shed until I completely she shrivels up?_

I blinked.

I need you, Isabella.

That line wretched at me. It felt like a desperate plea to be loved; to have someone love you back. It felt like he was begging me to accept him for who he is. And I do, I fully do. It's just hard to adapt to. I'm not use to him lashing out on my out of nowhere. I'm not use to being around _them_. The Cullens were so different, because they cared about hurting humans. But the Volturi were different. They kill humans _to _live.

It's killing me being able to know that he's truly sorry, and I'm not even saying anything. It must be killing him on the inside, too. I don't know how much longer I can take this...all these problems. It seems like life is delivering special deliveries precisely to stress me out.

I sat upright, fully aware that Caius was in the room. I held my hand to my head, closing my eyes, hoping I wouldn't get a head rush. That was the least of my problems, though.

"Isabella." A broken whisper could be heard at the corner of the room.

It was dark in the room; not much light peering through the windows. It's five thirty in the evening, the sun is no longer up in the sky, providing daylight. I averted my eyes to the silent Caius who was sat in a chair in the corner of the room, surrounded by bookcases. His expression was cold but apologetic. He also looked hurt and pained. I could sense that he was sorry; and I heard his apology. I just wish that an apology can get rid of all these ridiculous nuisances.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, his voice trembling. I wondered how many times before me had he apologized to someone sincerely. "I didn't mean to get angry at you. I'm _not _angry at you."

I looked down, contemplating whether I should contradict him or not. I decided to go with it.

"You have every right _to _be angry at me." I disagreed, running my hand through my knotted hair.

"No, no I do not. You couldn't have known that they had decided to venture out here. You were simply confiding with a trustworthy friend, and I understand you had no intention of bringing any of them here. You wouldn't risk their lives." He shook his head, his right hand masking him face as he looked away from me, ashamed.

"Caius...I know who Jacob is. And I should have known he would think of coming here. That's just who he is." I shrugged. "He's a determined, hormonal teenaged shape shifter who doesn't know when to stay away."

"You are not to blame, nonetheless." He said sternly, the broken Caius long gone.

"But...it's okay...if...if you do." I stammered, looking down at the messed up throw cover.

"Stop putting the blame on yourself." He commanded, his red eyes dark and serious.

I didn't say anything.

"Come here." He gestured for me to come over. I bit my lip, climbing off the bed and onto his lap. "I'm working hard on controlling my temper for you. But don't keep things away from me." He wrapped both of his arms around me and held me close. I closed my eyes, resting my head on his chest.

The door slammed open suddenly, and Jane was wide-eyed and terrified.

"Come on! We have to get Bella to safety. They're here."

* * *

"She still thinks that you're with Edward, so she'll probably be tracking his scent." Alice explained, carrying me bridal style to somewhere in the estate. "Corin and Renata are going to be your guards again, for this entire thing, got it?"

I nodded.

"Good. You are being put in the furthest end of the castle, seeing as we can't put you in the most guarded hallway. They need all of the Volturi present during battle. Don't worry, Bella," She pat my head. "everything's going to be alright."

We were in front of a big room, a room that wasn't located in a hallway. Corin and Renata were standing outside the door which I presumed will be the room that I was staying in. Alice quickly put me down on my feet and scurried me into the room. She gave me a few ground rules to follow.

"Never leave this room, got it?" She looked at me sternly, her big golden eyes wide with worry.

"Got it." I nodded, feeling like a child.

"Stay as quiet as possible." She added, her index finger pointing at me like I was three years old and I have done something naughty.

"I will." I reassured her, my heart racing like a hummingbird's peck.

"And please," She put her hand over my heart. "try to stay as calm as possible."

"Yes, ma'am." I winked.

"Hey, do you know where Edward is?" She inquired, her tone a little worried.

"Nope." I shook my head. She shrugged.

She gave me one of those red carpet smiles, hugged me quickly, then she left the room. Corin and Renata were standing guard. There was one window I could look through that would give me some indication whether or not they were near, it was next to the entrance. I could see right down the room and where Alice and I came through. I could see Renata and Corin and their concerned expressions with their arms crossed around their chests.

I sat there, bored out of my mind.

At least I'm safe.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"Ah Victoria!" Aro exclaimed, mockingly joyful.

Victoria walked slow paced to the center of the throne room, cautiously and ominously looking at her surroundings. She wore a smirk on her lips, her arms crossed. Behind her stood another newborn that seemed to be in complete control. He went by the name of Riley Biers.

"Aro." Victoria acknowledged, nodding her head once. "You haven't changed."

"How may we be of your service?" Aro asked, politely. He ignored her rude remark and didn't think much of it.

Victoria was completely aware that the Cullens were in the same city as she was. She could practically smell the anticipation for her death radiating off of them. She licked her lips, as her mind trailed off to the Cullen boy, who she remembers so viciously killed her one and true mate. Her smirk turned into a sneer, a nasty one at that.

"Where's the girl?" Victoria hissed, her voice dangerous and alluring.

"Whatever do you mean?" Aro played calm. He internally refused to break his façade.

"Don't play jokes with me!" Victoria growled, her eyes scanning the room thoroughly, but was left with disappointment when she couldn't see Bella right off sight.

"Where is Isabella Marie Swan?" The man who went my Riley Biers stepped forward, his hands clenched in fists and his lips curling back, revealing his venom coated, pearl-white teeth.

"She is not here, I believe." Aro continued, somewhat finding amusement in Victoria's obvious obliviousness.

"I can smell her." Victoria's eyes darted to the lot of vampire before her. "And I am determined to eliminate her."

Everything happened instantaneously.

Victoria's army came charging from the hallway she came from, one after the other, piling in the room. The Volturi and the Cullens were on their feet in seconds, blocking all the entrances to the rest of the palace.

"Oh!" Victoria held up a finger, her eyes scanning through the all the vampires. "Before I continue, there are a couple of people who wish to verbally send you their regards." She smirked, stepping out of the way.

Eerily coming from the hallway, light footsteps could be heard.

The Cullens gasped, and the Volturi's eyes widened.

"I'm glad I'm back," Athenodora sneered. "Aren't you, Caius?"


	9. Chapter 9

_This chapter is a real nail-biter.  
This is an early update, I have no school tomorrow so I decided to update today.  
I won't update till later on this weekend because I have work.  
Anyway, here's the next chapter!_

* * *

-Chapter 9-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Athenodora lazily walked to the middle of the throne room. Light hissing could be heard in the background, but Athenodora hid her discomfort and disappointment behind a smile. She didn't want them to know that she was displeased and saddened that they weren't content with her return. She had thought they had missed her; because she assumed they'd ridden of the human.

Riley and Victoria were standing side by side, attached to each other like glue on paper. Victoria wasn't emotionally attached to Riley as he is for her. But she needed him to think of the plans, how else would she be able to avoid Alice's powers? She knew that if she planned something, Alice would know about it. She was certain that the Cullen's were aware of her plans to terminate Bella. She now had her confirmations.

Victoria smirked, as Athenodora leisurely stepped aside, silently mourning that Caius held no interest for her. She loved him deeply, that was for certain. She had fallen for him not long ago, realizing that he was more than just a tool for her opportunity at power. She realized that he was a great companion, and compassionate when it came to emotional distress.

"Where's the human?" Victoria sneered, a look of utter disgust on her face.

"She isn't here." Caius snapped, out of instinct.

Victoria gave a little pout. "What a pity." She averted her eyes to the dark corridor. "I guess we'll let her suffer instead." Victoria pointed to a newborn. "Bring him out!" She hissed.

The newborn reluctantly scurried to the hallway. Following behind the newborn, held by three newborns so that he wouldn't escape, was Edward Cullen. A look of distress was in his features.

"You will give me the girl in exchange for this pathetic excuse of a vampire." She muttered, pointing at Edward. Edward frowned, his eyes practically pleading at his family to listen to Victoria.

But what he didn't know what that Bella cannot be handed over that simply. He didn't understand that Bella was more significant than he was; if she wasn't, then they wouldn't be here _defending _her. In addition, they know they cannot disagree and disobey the Volturi. Even if the Cullen's wanted to hand Bella over in exchange for Edward, the Volturi will not allow it.

They too, will be slaughtered.

"Hand her to me!" Victoria growled. The newborn army behind her lunged, their eyes targeting their already preassigned targets.

"I'm afraid we can't allow that." Aro said simply, a smug smile on his face. Victoria glared at him incredulously. She looked at the Cullen's, in disbelief.

"I thought he's part of your coven! Don't you want him back?" She glowered, her patience was running thin and she can practically taste Bella's scent lingering in the air lightly.

"Not in exchange for Isabella." Aro shook his head slightly.

Victoria's eyes widened in surprise. "Why not?"

"She has of significance to _our _coven." Aro emphasized, making Victoria frown. She let out a harsh huff.

"_Your _coven? The _Volturi _coven? What do you want with such a pathetic, stupid, insignificant little human?" Victoria sneered, ready to give her newborn army the signal to attack. Edward stayed silent, aware that Victoria was ready to release the newborns, but he didn't want to say anything; in hopes of someone coming to an agreement that there will be no battle. He silently prayed that he will return to his coven - and most importantly, back to Bella.

Caius tried to remain silent, but failed completely. He let out a growl, low and menacing. Victoria smirked, eyeing him.

"A little bit of over-protectiveness, I see." She remarked, her smirk more prominent. Caius growled.

"Calm, brother." Marcus murmured, lazily glancing at the infuriated Caius.

Victoria gasped, Riley flinching at her sudden reaction. "No!" She whispered, shocked. "You...you and her?" Victoria threw her head back, laughing hysterically. Athenodora hissed in response, her lips curling back, barring her teeth. Caius shot her a warning glance. Victoria stopped, pursing her lips, an endearing look on her face.

"Go." The newborn army raged, tearing everything and anything that go in their way.

* * *

Bella's POV

"Isabella?" Renata knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" I mumbled meekly, biting the inside of my cheek.

"The war has started." She informed me, and my heart dropped to the floor.

"Do...do you know if-if-" I stuttered.

"The Volturi is fine." She responded, her voice faked confidence, but she sounded rather unsure, which annoyed and irritated me so much more than it should.

"Okay." I whispered, a severe pain forming in the middle of my chest.

"Don't worry." Corin murmured, peeking through the door. I nodded once, a sharp breath escaping me.

I kept having this feeling that something terribly wrong is going to happen. Maybe it's just my anxiety acting up. _Calm down, Bella. Take deep breathes. You can do this. They will be fine. _But deep down, something kept gnawing on my insides, telling me that everything _won't _be fine.

Just breath.

They'll be fine.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient

"We will win this battle." Victoria sneered, dodging one of the Volturi's guard attempt to knock her off her feet.

"You will _not_!" Caius sneered, lunging towards her. They collided on to the ground, the sound of two boulders hitting each other echoed throughout the room. Victoria hissed, growling as she tried to compose herself. Caius frowned at her intensely, his red eyes piercing in hers. For a moment, Victoria flinched, but she ignored her small sense of fear. She smirked.

Behind him, most of the newborn army has been eliminated; thrown into messy piles all over the throne room. Aro was infuriated - the battle taking place inside the palace. The wives were in a different part of the castle. After Marcus lost Didyme, they took extensive precautions to make sure nothing happened to them.

Marcus ripped the head off a blond vampire, throwing it against the wall. Alice was being pinned to the ground by Riley, she was squealing in pain. A crack formed on her features and she screeched. Thankfully, Jasper came to her rescue, throwing Riley across the room and denting the marble floors. Felix was there in time to catch Riley, throwing him into a head lock.

"VICTORIA!" Riley yelled. Victoria glared in Riley's direction, she couldn't have cared less about him at that moment. All she could think about was killing Bella, to avenge the death of her mate. Swiftly, Felix snapped Riley's head off, throwing him into a nearby pile of shredded vampires.

Victoria shrieked as Felix pounced at her, grabbing her arms and pinning them to her back. She groaned in pain; venom spewing from her mouth.

"This is not the end!" She promised, before Felix twisted her head and popped her cranium off - disgustingly discarding her head on the floor.

"Thanks, Felix." Caius whispered, relief washing over him.

"I owe her." Felix replied, a feeling of guilt overwhelming him. His mind wondered back to the incident he had caused a few days ago; resulting in her having an injury.

Caius whirled around, the guards and the Cullens were alright. _All _of the Cullens - his eyes darted towards Edward - were alright. His thoughts were full of hate and disgust. Edward met Caius's gaze. Edward did not fear Caius, he thought he was weak and ridiculous. But Caius was not, he was anything but.

"I want you out." Caius demanded, his voice strong and hard.

Edward flashed Caius an irritated mock of a smile. "As you wish."

Edward started to walk down the corridor he came from, darting his eyes towards the piles of dead newborns that were laying there. He flashed his stare onto Victoria's head. From his angle, it looked like she was staring deep into his soul, the same hate she had when she found out about James's death and who killed him.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Edward frowned, staring back at his family, ignoring the small idea forming in the back of his mind.

"I'm sorry, Edward." Carlisle apologized, sincerity written all over his face. The bronze haired vampire's eyes widened at his coven leader; he couldn't be serious, right?

"Carlisle! I'm still part of this family! You can't throw me out after 117 years!" Edward glowered, his blame directed at Caius discretely.

"We came to an agreement," Alice smiled sadly, stepping forward. "You're alive because we fought, while you just stood there. You hurt Bella, and now we know your intentions. We want nothing to do with you. All this trouble was caused because of you. We want nothing to do with you. Please, leave us the stress and just go. Go for your own sake. And don't bother to call us anymore. We're all done with you and your selfish ways."

Edward looked at Alice with disbelief and shock. "But I did it for her! I left for her safety."

"Leaving her may be the most absurd thing you can do to a someone who knows of your specie's existence." Marcus sneered, defensively. He finally understood what had happened; and was angered. He lost Didyme, and he won't let another one of his coven member's - much less, a leader - go through that same pain. The idea of Edward leaving her, defenseless, as Victoria was still roaming the town after her, was idiotic, stupid, immature and risky.

"I agree." Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and even Rosalie admitted.

Edward's anger vanished.

He was infuriated.

"The hell with you all, go rot in hell." Edward turned for the dark hallway.

"We're already dead." Jane retorted, flipping her golden hair before exiting the throne room, retreating to an awaiting, anxious, Bella.

* * *

Bella's POV

I sighed, impatiently tapping my foot as I waited for the end result to this atrocious battle. I kept worrying, hyperventilating and coming up with terrible scenarios about what could be happening in the throne room right now.

For all I know, all of them could be dead.

_Think positive, Bella, they're the Volturi! They handled shit like this for thousands of years._

I had to agree with my conscience on this one. Voluntarily, I went to the bathroom to throw cold water over my face; hoping that it would wake me up from this horrible nightmare.

"Hello, Bella." A cold, almost inaudible voice whispered.

I whirled around, my heart rate beating erratically. Where's Corin and Renata?

"Edward." I sighed, slightly relieved. I looked behind him, noticing that the bathroom window was wide opened.

"I've come back for you." He murmured, approaching me, one hand ready to cradle my face.

I took a step back, against the door. "N-no!" I stammered.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go, there's nothing left for you here. I'm so sorry I left you, you can come back with me and the rest of them." He smiled, but I wasn't buying it. The pit of my stomach churned nervously.

"What d-do y-you mean there's nothing-g left for m-me here?" I stuttered, cursing myself for not rehearsing my speech for an encounter like this.

_As if you knew this would happen._

"I'm so sorry..." He whispered, brokenly.

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking down at the tiled floors. What could he be sorry for? Being here? No, no that can't be it. I glanced at my arm, wrapped around layers of gauze. Then I realized Edward did that.

He caused me that harm.

And I was afraid he would hurt me again.

"Sorry for what?" I cleared my throat, pressing my lips in a tight line.

He glanced at me, a longing look in his eyes. "No one...no one..."

"No one _what_?" I growled, a lump forming in my throat.

I knew what he was going to say.

"No one made it." He whispered, brokenly.

I breathed in sharply, but it feels like I was choking. I swallowed roughly, the lump still there.

Jane, Alice, Marcus, Aro...Heidi, Esme, Rosalie...Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle...

Caius.

They're all gone? They...they can't. They can't die. They couldn't have! No! No, they can't! I still need them, they should still be here. They were too trained for this, they were too knowledgeable to die. I would hear from Renata and Corin if they did die, they were supposed to tell me.

Renata and Corin...

Where are they?

"You're lying." I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

Edward shook his head. "You're in denial, hun. Let it sink in...they're gone, Bells. I'm all that's left."

I blinked long and hard, the tears disappearing. "No, no you're lying. They didn't die."

I would feel the bond between Caius and I snap, if they did.

Wouldn't I?

"This is not time for denial." Edward growled, yanking on my injured arm. I yelped.

"Edward! Edward, stop! Ow!" I shrieked, trying to pull my arm away. But his iron grip only tightened, forming new tears in my eyes. I could feel my broken bones being crumbled right now.

"You will listen to me, Isabella, and you will listen to me good. You don't love Caius. He doesn't love you. He never did and he never will. He pretended just so that you would be a part of the guard. He never cared about you, not for a moment. I read his mind, he doesn't give two shits about you.

But _I _do. I still love you. I will protect you. You can come back to Forks with me and the family. Bells, I'm a better option. You don't have to live here, trapped as a prisoner. When was the last time you felt the sun against your skin?" He questioned, his golden eyes burning with fury.

_Actually, earlier today. _I wanted to say to him. I wanted to tell him about my new found sanctuary - the Garden. I wanted to tell him that the Garden has given me more comfort than he ever did. It made me feel safe and just...good. It's like I'm still in touch with the outside world without having to see them. It made me intact with my sanity - my sense of reality.

"Come on." He growled, yanking my injured arm.

Not wanting to hurt it any further, I bit back the pain, and willingly let him pull me to his chest. He caressed my hair, stroking it tenderly. He kissed the top of my head.

"We're perfect together." He whispered.

I bit my lip, doing everything in my power not to cry.

"Let's go, Bells. We're going to go on an extended vacation. We'll go back to Forks some other time." He suggested.

My eyes widened. "No!"

"Shut up!" He clamped his hand over my mouth. "You better shut up, Bella. You don't want to attract attention to yourself. I'm not sure of there's any newborns left." His lie left his mouth so instinctively that it even caught me by surprise.

But I nodded, not wanting to anger him further.

Without another word escaping my lips, he swooped me bridal style, jumping out the window and onto the ground.

_Caius, save me. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Alert: This story is Rated M for a reason. Caution: Rape.**  
_Here's Chapter 10! I had a lot of spare time to write more chapters!  
Thank you for reviewing!  
I hope you guys aren't disappointed with this story, I am truly, truly working really hard to make this story good with no holes, no weird add-ins and to make everything seem logical. This story has a good plot and I intend to make it seem as realistic as possible.  
_Follow me on Twitter: Its_Just_Cassy_  
Please check out the poll on my profile. We seem to be at a tie for three of the choices. Can someone be the tie breaker?_

* * *

-Chapter 10-

Bella's POV

"Edward, where are you taking me?" I asked carefully, narrowing my eyes at him.

It had to be at least ten minutes since we left the Volturi castle. Since then, Edward has been running in vampire speed into an unknown direction. All I could see is the blur of random buildings, a few trees and the darkness of the sky.

"Someplace safe." He replied, giving me a reassuring smile.

I frowned in suspicion. Why was Edward taking me someplace else? What did he have planned? Why did he leave his family during the battle? How come Renata and Corin didn't come after me? Didn't they know that I wasn't there anymore?

"Seriously, Edward." I scrutinized him. "I want to know where you're taking me."

He sighed. "We're going as far away from that _place _as possible. They're dangerous, Bella, why can't you see that?" He shook his head at me in disappointment. I gaped at him.

"They are _not _as dangerous as you make them seem! They haven't done anything to harm me!" I snapped back at him, a ball of fury burning inside of me.

He smirked down at my still injured arm bandaged up in gauze that still needs to be changed. "And how do you explain _that_?" He nodded towards my arm.

My mouth made a popping sound as my jaw dropped. "You did this to me! Don't you remember grabbing my hand so hard that it snapped _both _bones?"

He grunted. "I did no such thing, Bella. I would never hurt you. They did that to you. They've brainwashed you!" He came to a halt.

He set me down on my feet. We were in the middle of a bushy area. It reminded me so much of Forks - the greenery. I missed it, to be honest. As much as I despise the cold, humid weather of Forks, Washington, I missed every single thing about my birth town. I missed Charlie and Jacob. I don't miss Edward. Not after what he had done to me.

Now it seems like he's in denial.

I walked to a nearby boulder, climbed it with the one hand and sat down on it. I frowned at the golden-eyed vampire who scrutinized me with a judgmental look.

"They didn't brainwash me, Edward." I looked at him like he was a fool - and he was.

"Yes, Bella, they did." He half-smiled. What's so pleasant about this predicament?

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're in denial." I retorted.

In top speed, he was in front of me before I finished my sentence. His intense gaze burned into my eyes, and I had to fight to not look away. Though it was tempting, I had to stand my ground. He was trying to make me think things that aren't true.

"They made you think that you are in love with Caius. But you love me, Bella, don't you remember?" He begged, pleadingly. "Don't you remember all the fun times we had together?"

As I processed his spoken words, I came to a big realization. I never had any fun times with Edward. All of them ended in disaster. That baseball game at the park? Well, that came down to me being hunted. My eighteenth birthday party? After the incident, they left me, abandoned. And now? He snapped my arm, he took me away from Caius and he's trying to persuade me into thinking that I was brainwashed. If anything, _he's _brainwashed!

"Come to think of it, Edward," I began, tapping my chin with my index finger. "we never _had _any fun times together. And we never will!"

He took my face in his hands and lifted it up so that I was forced to stare at him.

"We did, Bella. You certainly forgot." He explained, his eyes told me he was lying.

I jerked my head away from his hold, and he dropped his hands to his side.

"No! All of them ended up with me getting hurt; emotionally, if not, physically!" I growled, raising up my uninjured arm where the scar from James's bite was plastered. The crescent shape glittered underneath the moonlight, and I winced, remembering exactly how it happened.

Edward tapped my wrist away, looking away. "I tried my best to save you."

"I'm thankful, Edward, I really am. But that doesn't make up for all the other times _you've_ hurt me!" I yelled, infuriated. "You left me after my eighteenth birthday! Which was when? Three months ago? Oh, don't get me started with this broken arm. You did that. You just couldn't stand the fact that I had moved on, that I had found my _one _and _only _true love! You lied to me the entire time; making me think that I belonged with you. In reality, I didn't. You just wanted me for yourself, because I had some sort of significance. Or maybe it was because you actually did love me, but I know that after you intentionally hurt me, you don't anymore." I was panting, heavily. My eyes bored into his, and his intense gaze softened. I could tell he was hurt and embarrassed.

Well, he fucking deserves it.

"Bella, you can't mean that." He shook his head, his voice calm and gentle.

"I do mean it!" I growled. "Now, take me back!"

He flashed me one of his famous crooked grins. "It's not safe there, sweetie." He cooed. I looked at him incredulously.

"I don't want to be with you! I want to go back!" I wailed, storming passed him.

"You can't outrun me. It would take you a good hour and a half to get back anyway." He shrugged, a smug smile showed proudly on his face.

"I don't care." I mumbled, determinedly.

"Come on, Bells." He begged.

"No." I sneered, ten paces away from him.

Before I knew it, I wasn't touching the ground anymore. I was in the arms of my captor. My eyes widened and I let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Edward! Put me down right now!" I growled, slapping his back; but it had not affect on him.

He sighed, irritated, but placed me back on the ground obediently. I took a few steps away from him, dusting myself off and regaining my composure. I was startled; Edward never defied my wishes. He usually made conditions, but he never defied them.

"Bella, you can't go back there." He said again, and this time, I was beyond annoyed.

I let out a sharp breath. "Listen, they're _not _dangerous. They haven't hurt me, and they never will. Caius and I care about each other and there's nothing you can do about it, Edward."

"You don't care about him, Bells. This is all part of their plan to make you one of them! They want you to be a part of their guard. They just want your abilities. They don't really care for you." His harsh words struck me cold, and I narrowed my eyes at him; scrutinizing him judgmentally.

"I cannot believe you said that." I sneered, menacingly. "Caius is my soul mate. He cares for me, Jane cares for me, Aro, Marcus..._all _of them care for me! They kept me around this long, and for vampires that drink human blood, they sure haven't killed me yet."

He looked at me in horror. "You've been brainwashed."

I screamed, in frustration and in terror.

Edward rushed towards me hastily, embracing me in a cold, hard grasp. I tried to wiggle myself away from him, but I was unsuccessful. He didn't even notice that I was trying to escape from his hard hug.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay. It's best that you find out now." He cooed, and I thrashed against him violently.

"Let me go! Let me go!" I yelled, pushing him as hard as I could.

He released me, with a confused look on his face. "What's wrong?"

I looked at him in disbelief; my eyes wide and my mouth gaping. I had the huge urge not to slap him across the face. I'll just end up cracking every bone in my body in the process.

"What do you _mean _'what's wrong'? You kidnapped me, tried to persuade me into thinking all types of nonsense, and then hold me against my will? What the fuck is wrong with _you_, Edward?" I shrieked, backing up against a tree.

"You better shut the fuck up, Bella." His hands started to tremble. But I could care less if he's angry at me.

"You know what's also wrong with this situation?" I challenged, a sly smirk curving my lips. "Back at the castle, you said no one made it. You were the only one left. And then afterwards, you said 'You can come back with me and the family'. That means they're still alive."

I observed Edward for a minute. His golden eyes had gone black, his expression was emotionless but in his eyes, he looked hurt and confused. His palms were turned outward, an expressive way of telling me he didn't know what to do next.

"Bring. Me. Back. There. _Now_." I demanded.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"She's gone!" Jane wailed, her voice frantic and panicked.

Caius stepped forward, nudging a dead newborn aside. "Who is?" He sneered, his tone angry and scary.

"Isabella...she's gone. She's not in her chamber." Jane choked, her eyes pooling with with venom; another form of tears for the undead.

Jane had dashed towards the chamber where Bella was being kept safe. But she found Renata and Corin slashed, diced and headless in front of the door. They were dead. Someone had murdered them. But because Renata and Corin's scent were intoxicating the room, Jane couldn't identify whether it was a newborn's job or not. All she knew was the Bella wasn't there .

"Where Renata and Corin? They were supposed to be guarding her!" Alec growled, his red eyes scrutinizing his twin sister.

Jane's eyes widened a bit when she locked eyes with her brother.

"They're dead." She blurted, her fragile voice cracked.

Alec immediately embraced his sister, letting her fall into them. Jane was heartbroken, torn and shattered. Two of her dear friends died and her best friend is missing. She didn't know how to react and what to feel. She just couldn't go on.

Caius was out of the throne room within nanoseconds. Aro, Marcus, Felix and the Cullens joined them. All of them were equally shocked and speechless.

Caius halted in front of the room where Bella was supposed to be in. The horrific scene engulfing his vision - Renata and Corin _headless _on the ground. Their limbs were torn from their body, their heads were a good five feet away from their bodies and the door to the bedroom they were supposed to be guarding wasn't open - it was locked.

Without even giving the dead coven members a second glance, Caius slammed open the door, his gaze travelling cautiously around the room. He breathed Bella's scent. _No more than twenty minutes old. _He noted. He strode toward the bathroom, seeming it's the only other way out of the room. It is highly unlikely Bella was the one to slaughter the two Volturi members, so she had to had gone out from somewhere else...with her captor.

When Caius entered the bathroom, his suspicions have been confirmed. The window was wide open, and he can pick up Bella's scent trailing out the window alongside with a vampire. Caius didn't stop there - he stayed there, letting the vampire scent engulf his senses. It was an old vampire, one he knew all too well. Caius snarled.

Edward Cullen.

* * *

Bella's POV

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Edward shook his head, but to me, it just looked like he was trying to mock me.

I frowned at him. "Bring me back now, Edward! You have no right to keep me hostage!" I yelled, starting to feel hopeless.

"Oh, Bella. You _really _have to snap out of it. It's not healthy for you to be thinking this way. They've made you think that being around them will be safe; they lied. They are persuading you to think that they're good - that _they _are safe to be around. But in reality, Bells, they're luring you to the dangerous side." He sadly smiled at me, making my stomach churn uncomfortably.

I sighed, it seems that I won't be able to win this fight. I can't physically fight him, I'll end up dying anyway. How long will it be until they figure out that I'm not there anymore? And where's Renata and Corin?

I still wasn't going to give up this easily, though. He knew me better than that.

"But you _left _me there! So obviously, you knew they weren't going to kill m-" His hand clamped over my mouth, harsh enough that it felt like he was going to break my teeth if he put anymore pressure there.

"Shut up. Shut the _fuck _up! You don't know when not to speak, don't you?" He spat through clenched teeth. My eyes widened at him; he never got this angry at me. So angry that he had to physically hurt me. I can honestly feel myself getting a bruise.

"You belong with me, Bella. You're mine. You always have been. _La tua cantante_. Your blood sings to me, and it gets me every time. The only reason you're not dead yet? It's because my family will be so disappointed in me. And because I love you. You honestly don't understand that we belong together! They had you think otherwise. It's only been a damn week, Bella, and you're already thinking against me." He sneered, his black eyes looking away.

"I'm going to prove to you that I love you; that I'm not doing this for nothing." He declared. My eyes widened.

He pushed me onto the ground, his hand still over my mouth. I groaned loudly as the impact killed my back. I was careful not to hurt my already broken arm, but it's hard to do.

Edward then started to shred my jeans into hundreds of little pieces, he did the same to my shirt. My shoes were thrown elsewhere. Now I was down to just my underwear and my bra.

I wanted to cry.

He carefully took my underwear off and now I was exposed. I screamed against his hand, as I thrashed around. But he pinned me, and I was unable to move. The hot tears spilled down my cheeks and soaked into the soil. I whimpered uselessly as Edward undressed himself in the speed of light. I looked at him and I realized what he was going to do. I groaned which earned me another round of tears.

_Someone, please help me!_

"Edward, please don't do this to me." I begged, but my words sounded muffled against his hand.

His golden colored irises returned and his looked was smoldering me, intensely.

"I need to prove to you that I love you." He explained.

He thrust in me, making me shriek in pain as he took away my innocence. I cried even harder; the pain excruciating as he is not taking his time to let me, at the very least, get used to his size.

"You like that, don't you?" He growled, grunting each time he thrusts.

It felt like my vagina was going to split open from the pain. I didn't even try to move - I wouldn't be able to escape anyway and he can kill me with just the flick of his finger. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip, praying that all of this will be over soon.

"Open your eyes, Bella..." He moaned harshly, pushing himself in my further. This time, my back arched as the pain shot through me. But I did as I was told, for I feared that I would get hurt if I didn't obey him.

"Edward, please...please stop..." I begged, trying to pull myself away from him.

He didn't listen, he just kept going for what seemed like a decade. Finally, I felt him quake as he has his orgasm. He let out a groan as he pulled out from me.

"I love you." He said. "You love me, too, don't you?"

I didn't say anything. Instead, I lay there, humiliated.

My innocence has been taken away from me. My dignity has been stripped from me. I have nothing left. I'm broken, I'm ruined. If Caius ever finds me, I have nothing left to offer him. He probably won't love me anymore after he finds out that I'm impure.

With that thought, more tears trickled down my cheeks as I silently sobbed. Why was it me? Why did I have to be the one to suffer? _Self-pity won't get you anywhere, Bella, stay strong. It's all you can do. _

Absentmindedly, I stood up and trudged towards my bra, underwear, my t-shirt and shoes. My jeans were shredded into hundreds of pieces, so I guess I won't be able to wear pants. I put them all on quietly, watching as Edward had his eyes closed with a content smile on his face.

I wanted to vomit.

As quietly as I could, I started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked, in a lighter tone.

"Away from you." I muttered, feeling a panic attack coming on.

And surprisingly, he didn't follow me.

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

_Hello, everyone! Shortest chapter I've written but it's a really good one...or at least, I hope it's good.  
I love all of you. ALL of you. I hope you guys know that. Without you, I wouldn't carry on with this story. Thank for all of your support. (:_

I must shout out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAYLOR LAUTNER!

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* * *

-Chapter 11-

Bella's POV

I was walking for hours now, in a direction I didn't know of. The sky was midnight blue now, and I was lost in some deserted part of Italy. I tried to stay as calm as I could, but my anxiety had taken over my entire body. Inch by inch, my muscles started to clench and the sick feeling in my stomach did the opposite of ceasing.

At some point, I started to cry silently. Of course, I didn't want to attract any attention to me; considering that I wasn't wearing any pants and I was wandering a part of Italy that I haven't been to before.

I looked down at the sandy, dusty road. I watched as the tears landed on the ground, creating a spiral of dust to levitate from the ground. Vigorously, I wiped away the tears with the cuff of my sleeve. I had to stay strong, this is the only way I'll be able to get back.

Keep my head up and follow my instincts.

* * *

Now I was completely lost. I knew better than to trust my instincts. I feel so stupid, oblivious and naïve. The last time I trusted my instincts, I found out that the supernatural did exist. And what were the results to that? Me coming into a country I've never been to before, deserting my anxious father and my best friend and practically being condemned to my death.

I'm completely alone now. I don't know if Caius, Jane or any of the Cullens are looking for me. I don't know if Jacob really kept to his word and is on his way here. I don't know where Edward is. He could be spying on my for all I know!

"Why do these things happen to me?" I whimpered to myself, slumping against a grimy wall in an alley.

An alley is totally my preferred destination at this point. What could happen in an alley? I could get raped - again, I could get mugged - but what is there to take? I could get kidnapped - yeah, because that totally worked before and lastly, I could be beaten up.

I'm pretty sure that getting beaten up would be the most likely to happen. What are the chances of anything else happening twice in one day?

I'm already screwed up as it is, can anything get any worse?

"Bells...?" A familiar voice echoed down the alleyway.

At first, I thought I was just hallucinating. _You're just making stuff up now, Bella, stay quiet and keep calm. _My breathing began to quicken.

"Bella? Is-is that you?" I whipped my head to where I thought the voice was coming from.

"J-Jake?" I croaked, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Good grief." He sighed heavily, making his way to me.

My chest tightened at the sight of him. My best friend had to see me like this; broken, betrayed and used. The look on his face - the concern, sadness and worry - made me feel so bad about leaving him, and to see the added shock and disbelief to his features? That ruined me. He looked absolutely mortified once he saw me; half-naked, tear-streaked, and unable to breath properly.

"For fuck sake's!" He groaned, once he saw the flesh rise in my arms. "Why the hell are you out here? Where is everyone?"

"I-I'm cold." I complained, rubbing my legs with my hands. I felt the goose bumps die down as I touched them. My feet were cold, my finger tips were freezing and I felt like my lips were going to fall off.

Italy may be really hot during the day, but at night, it's like a human refrigerator.

"God dammit." He muttered, tossing me a pair of basketball shorts he had tied to his ankle. "Put 'em on." He ordered, he turned around with a frustrated sigh and I obediently put them on. They were still warm.

"Th-thanks." I stammered, hugging myself.

"Come here." He said, opening his arms wide. Knowing better, I walked right into his warm hug. And I was more than thankful that he was here.

"W-where'd you c-come fr-from?" I inquired, as we walked out of the alleyway.

"I just got here." He explained, his voice less than enthusiastic.

"Oh." I whispered. "Are you alone?" I managed to say.

He didn't answer for a while. We made our way to one of the main roads, where it was still busy despite the late hour. The Italians gave up weird glances. I wouldn't blame them. It's not every day that you see two very different people walk side by side nonchalantly down these sidewalks.

"Yeah." He finally exasperated.

"Why?" I asked, wondering where everyone else could be.

"The pack thought it'd be best if I go alone. If they all come, the Volturi will be less than pleased to know about the alliance between the _cold _ones and us." He spat, his eyes turning hard.

"They don't know?" I inquired, surprised that there was a secret being kept from the Volturi.

"No." He murmured, he stopped where he was and made me turn around. "And what the fuck happened to your arm?"

"Calm it, Jake." I said, noticing how much he was cursing. "It was just an accident." I lied fluently.

He rolled his eyes, a smile of mockery plastered on his face. "I know you better than anyone, Bells. I know when you're lying. And you're pretty damn bad at it."

Caught red handed.

I smiled weakly at him, silently praying that he won't burst out into a fit of rages.

"Promise me you won't get angry?" I asked, pursing my lips.

He studied me for a moment. "I solemnly swear to you, Isabella Marie Swan, that I will not get angry with what you're about to say." He said, doing that scout's honor gesture with two fingers in the air and his other hand over his heart.

I rolled my eyes. Even at my weakest point, he can still make me smile.

"Okay," I took a deep breathe. "Edward was the one to do this to me."

He went completely rigid right in front of me. His hard stare was on the ground. The only thing that told me he was still sane was that his hands were trembling slightly, enough for me to notice. His hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched.

"I'm gonna kill him..." He whispered through clenched teeth. "I'm going to _fucking _kill him!"

"No! No, Jake." I pushed him back with the one hand. "Don't, please."

"Jesus, Bella. You must be fucked in the head. The guy you thought you loved hurt you so bad that you can't move your arm, he obviously kidnapped you considering you're far away from the castle...and you want him alive?" He sneered.

"Please...just don't." I begged him, my eyes watery all over again.

He looked at me intently, shaking his head slightly. "Fine." He muttered angrily. "Stay put, Bella, I need to make a quick call."

He went down the alley, his back facing me as he whipped out his cell phone. Muttering something unintelligible, he dialed the number and started to speak quickly into the phone.

I turned around, my back facing his and looked at the ground. Before I even had the chance to blink, a cold, hard hand slapped over my mouth. The familiar feeling, the familiar shape of the hand made my eyes pop open wide. My captor's face was so close to mine that I could feel him breathing on me.

"Don't fight back, you won't win." He whispered, before covering my eyes and taking me away.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"Find her!" Caius bellowed, the entire throne room was filled with guards.

Not all of the guards were present, the castle still needed to be protected in case it gets attacked. Most of the mediocre trained guards were there, listening to all of Caius's commands. Aro glared at his brother, not at all pleased that Caius was the one to give orders. Aro usually is the one to give orders, and he was not used to having others give them out. Marcus remained silent as ever, secretly proud of Caius. He knows what it's like to lose a mate, he has spent three thousand years thinking about Didyme.

It has been the longest three thousands years of his existence.

"At all lengths, travel in pairs or in groups, if you find a lead, follow through with it! Go!" Caius growled, and the throne room was deserted within minutes.

Jane and Alec were in Caius's group; they were going to leave the castle in order to find Bella. Jane was reluctant to go, despite Aro's many protests. Alec didn't mind going at all, he would go through lengths to make his sister happy. And if Bella is one of those things that made her happy, he will go after her.

"Where's Demetri?" Caius yelled, scanning the throne room.

"Here, Master Caius." He smirked, his dark red eyes endearing.

"Give me a lead." Caius ordered.

"Due South. She should be somewhere there, forty three kilometers from here." Demetri smiled, thankful that he was of good use to his master.

"Aren't we ever lucky to have you here." Caius said, not at all enthusiastic, but rather sarcastic. "Jane, Alec," He averted his attention to the twins. "Let's go."

* * *

Bella's POV

"Edward! Edward, god dammit, please put me down!" I shrieked, pushing against him.

He was running. And he was running fast. He didn't listen to me, he seemed to be zoned out; in a completely different world from the one I'm in right now. But he looked at me, and he looked at me with hate in his eyes. He held hatred against something. Possible me? It must be. I ran away from him. But it's his fault that I ran away. He couldn't stand the fact that I'm not his. And I thought he was more mature than this. I thought he could handle this. He said he loved me.

Yeah, if he really loved me, he wouldn't do this to me.

He stopped and he put me down. His golden eyes weren't golden anymore; but they were black. The blackest I have ever seen them be, if it were possible. It was like they were really pupils. They were like...carved holes in his eyes. Black holes, sucking me in - drawing me. I couldn't look away. I pried my eyes off of him, long enough to see where we are.

We were back where we started.

My shredded jeans were still there, the same place and state that I had left them; shredded. I looked at the boulder than I sat on...and then I glanced at the spot where I was raped and I cringed immediately, flashbacks coming racing through my mind like a storm. I whimpered slightly. But I had to stay strong. I had to.

"What do you want, Edward?" I sneered, through clenched teeth.

My heart was tight, my chest felt like it was being squished. I couldn't breathe properly.

Anxiety attack.

My heart beat accelerated and I collapsed onto the ground. I have never heard of an anxiety attack being the horrific before. But it's happening.

And it's happening to me.

Edward kneeled in front of me, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. He pulled me up from the ground, a couple of inches closer to him.

"Listen to me close." He sneered, his voice threatening. "You love me. You've always loved me. No one else will love you like I do. We're together. No matter what anyone says; no matter what _you _say."

"N-"

"If you value your life...and if you value _them_, you'll believe me. You love me. You fucking love me so much that you hate Caius, got that?" He threw me back to the ground, leaving me to myself.

He looked back at me, his eyes drawing me again.

"And if you disobey me, I will kill you."

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

-Chapter 12-

Bella's POV

"They're coming." Edward whispered into my ear, pulling me by the waist, bringing me closer to him. I had to fight the urge to push myself away; I'll just end up being punished.

He looked at me with utter distaste. "Stop trying to fight me, you can't stay strong forever."

The words cut me deep, but I put my thoughts elsewhere.

Edward had gotten me new clothes to wear. I was wearing a white t-shirt with black skinny jeans. He got me a forest green coat so that I wouldn't chill and Vans shoes to go with it, too. I was only thankful for that part. Nothing else.

My arm was still wrapped up in the same old gauze that Carlisle had put on me a few hours ago. It needed to be changed soon. I was still trying to recover from the anxiety attack Edward caused me not too long ago. My heart was racing, but it was at a decent rate.

From the clearing, I saw a line of hooded figures getting closer and closer. Every second that ticked by felt like a whole new millennium. Finally, they stopped in front of us, the shining of the moonlight reflecting off their pale skins.

They dropped their hoods in unison. Most of them were there. The Cullens, Jane, Alec, Felix, surprisingly Marcus, a couple of other Volturi guards whom I don't remember the names of and Caius. He looked at me with relief, but was infuriated at the same time. I could tell he was debating whether to lunge at Edward or not, but he was fighting the urge. He was fighting hard.

Edward chuckled darkly. "You wouldn't do that." Edward shook his head, his intense stare directly at Caius. "If you want her alive, you wouldn't dare attack me."

Caius cocked his head to the side, frowning slightly. Jane's lips curled back and she let out a low hiss. She was contemplating to use her gift or not, I could see the mixed emotions on her face: confusion, concern and relief.

"Plus," Edward smirked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "she loves me, don't you, hun?" He pulled me closer to him, and I gave them all a feeble smile. Enough to possibly persuade them to think that I do.

Caius's expression faltered, confusion crossing his face as he looked at me with disbelief.

"N-no..." He stuttered, his red eyes burning with fury.

I mouthed, _I'm so sorry_.

"NO!" He growled, the guards around him flinched. "You're making her do this..." He accused, stepping closer.

Suddenly, Edward fell to the ground, in a heap of pain. He groaned loudly, followed by an ear-splitting scream.

"Jane!" I gasped, my eyes wide as I watched her smile deviously. "Jane, stop! Please!"

She sighed, and Edward rolled over on the ground, still in pain, shockingly.

"Isabella..." Caius whispered, "tell me this isn't true."

I looked at him, doubt in my eyes. Then I stared at the ground, afraid of the consequences in my decision.

"It's true." I replied, my voice cracking.

"You're lying." Jasper muttered.

"She's-she's not!" Edward stammered, getting up from the ground to stand next to me.

_What the hell are you doing, Bella? This is the chance you've been waiting for! There are two dozen vampires against you and Edward. You can tell them the truth. You can get away._

_Stop fighting, tell the truth._

_It's your only way out._

I shook my head, clenching my fists.

"I don't love him."

* * *

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Jane whispered.

We were on our way back to the castle, and I was in the arms of Jane. Caius wanted to stay behind, to take care of Edward.

"I know." I murmured.

As much as I wanted Jane to be right, I knew that she couldn't be any more wrong. Jacob was still out there - somewhere, and there's no doubt that he's coming back for me. He came here for a reason; he wants me back. He wants me to come back to Forks, create some sort of truce with the Volturi (like that's even possible) and let me live out a normal life - one that I supposedly deserved.

But the guilt still held within me. I'm rotten, and no one knows this. No one, but me, knows that Edward raped me. No one knows that he threatened me. No one knows that he always gets his way, whether anyone likes it or not. Except on those rare occasions where it would be logical for him not to get his way.

If Caius kills Edward, I'm the one responsible for his execution. Will the Cullens ever forgive me for being the cause of their adoptive son's death? Or will they understand? _Understand what, Bella? _

My conscience was right. What will they understand? I can't tell anyone that I've been raped, it will just be something that I'll have to carry on with forever. I have nothing left to offer my mate anymore, besides lies and empty promises.

I don't think me having anxiety makes it any better. I hate listening to myself say that, 'Anxiety'. It's not the worse thing to have, but it stills affects me. If I'm changed into a vampire, will it go away? Or will I have to live with it for eternity?

I don't know if I can handle that.

"Then why is your heart beating so fast?" Jane questioned, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I licked my lips and bit them, before replying. What can I tell her? _Just tell her that you're still in shock from what happened. Being kidnapped is a big thing, too, you know._

"I'm just...living in the past." I explained, my voice hesitant.

Jane sighed and she slowed down her pace. Alec and Felix were with us, but they remained silent. She put me down averted her eyes to my own.

"You really don't have to be afraid anymore." She repeated, reassurance in her voice. She sounded so confident, and I wished so much to feel confidence, but I couldn't.

"Yeah." I muttered weakly.

She half-smiled, pitifully. Her red eyes softened and her pale skin was shimmering against the moonlight. Her blond hair made her look so different under the night's sky, almost as if she were a different person.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, her attention to my still-broken arm.

I nodded. "It's fine, it's-" I yawned. "throbbing a bit."

She took my hand. "Five more minutes and we'll be back to the castle. You must be tired."

Then we took off.

* * *

I curled up in bed, the soft linen sheets wrapped around my body snugly. My droopy eyes scanned the silent room. The moonlight peered through the curtains, creating a white puddle of light on the ground. I sighed to myself.

"Bella?" A high pitched voice echoed, and I jumped, my eyes darting towards the door.

"Alice! Jeez, warn a girl." I muttered lazily, rubbing my eyes.

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I reassured her, smiling back.

She walked over to the bed and sat at the edge, her pixie-like features made her look younger than usual under the dark light. Is it just me, or do vampires just look more amazing at night than they do during the day?

"I came to talk to you about something..." She whispered, biting her bottom lip.

"Of course, what's up?" I asked her.

I don't remember the last time I had a conversation with Alice, but it felt like a long time ago.

She sighed at first, making me frown in response. "Is everything alrig-"

"Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked me, her tone serious and questioning.

I searched for some sort of playful hint in her eyes, but there was none. She looked at me seriously, her features intense and questioning. Her golden eyes were fixed at me with the utmost sincerity and concern that I wondered if everything is all right with her; if something was bothering her.

"I don't know what you mean." I said cautiously.

"I mean," She said, pausing for a bit. "does Caius make you happy?"

My stomach churned.

"He makes me feel safe." I said instead.

"But does he make you _happy_?" She wondered, emphasizing really hard on the word 'happy'.

I didn't say anything for a second, thinking really hard. Did Caius make me happy? _Well, you never really had a chance to be completely alone for a while in order for you both to enjoy each others company and just talk._

"I don't know." I whispered, my heart breaking along with the words.

She nodded her head. "I get it. I just want to make sure that this is what you want; that you're not going to regret your decisions later because of recent events."

I smiled at her concern. "Thanks for looking out for me Alice, I appreciate it."

She returned the grin and gave me a hug. "Edward deserved to die."

* * *

I woke up the next morning with odd aches everywhere. My thighs hurt, my abdomen and ribs hurt, my arms, legs and weird parts of my neck hurt. I hissed under my breath, this was all Edward's fault.

I did my daily routines; shower, brush my teeth, hair and dress up. Today, Carlisle told me that I had to meet up with him later to check up on my arm, to see if I still needed an operation.

I didn't know if the Volturi were back yet - the ones who went out to come looking for me, but I had a feeling that they should be here, it's been a good eight hours since I've been found. They should have gotten the memo by now.

"Bella?" Jane called out from the door. "Breakfast is ready when you are."

"Oh, yeah..." I said quickly, not really paying attention.

She entered the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror, with a big frown on her face.

"Is something wrong, Bella? You've been acting distraught and quiet since last night." She remarked.

Dammit, she's more observant than I thought.

"No, nothing's wrong..." I lied, but I knew better than to to do.

"You're lying." She sung, shaking her head in disappointment. "Please, do not keep secrets, it's not healthy."

I sighed shakily and made my way to the bed where I sat down. Jane took a seat next to me, her dark purple cloak spread neatly on the bed.

"We should have protected you better; Caius is beating himself up over it. Everyone else regrets not having you well-protected, as well." She informed me, regret in her eyes, too.

"It's not your fault. Corin and Renata did everything they could." I defended.

I didn't want Jane to feel bad. It really wasn't their fault that they thought someone from the Cullen clan wouldn't kidnap me. They weren't expecting it. Maybe after they killed all those newborns, they thought their deed was done.

"Bella...Corin and Renata are dead." She said. She was being cautious now.

I looked down at the bedsheets. Corin and Renata are dead...because of me. Edward is dead...because of me. Jacob is wandering the streets of Italy alone...because of me. Now, everyone is basically putting off their daily work...because of me.

It's all because of me.

"I-I..."

"You don't need to apologize." Jane shook her head, smiling sadly. "No one thought it would happen."

I stayed silent for a moment, remembering Corin and Renata smiling at each other as they stood guard in front of the room I was in yesterday. They seemed to relaxed and cheery, they didn't even seemed to be worried when they were reporting the battle statistics to me, either. They were at ease, and there was no sudden noises or disturbances either that would have caught my attention. Edward killed them quietly and neatly.

"On to what I was most concerned about..." Jane said, looking at me with expectancy.

"Yeah." I whispered, averting my eyes elsewhere. "...He...he did more than kidnap me." My voice cracked.

Jane remained silent, entirely focused on my words. Though, she frowned and her red eyes were intently burning into my own. I didn't look at her, though. I didn't want to break down right there, even if I knew I was going to anyway.

On cue, my eyes started to tear up. It started to sting and I closed my eyes really hard, forcing the tears not to spill over.

"When...when he kidnapped me, he took me far away; where you guys found me. And then...and then he...he..." A lump formed in my throat, cutting me off from my speech.

Jane's eyes were wide and she was still. Her lips slightly parted, she looked shocked and infuriated. I vigorously wiped the tears from my eyes, cursing myself for not staying strong.

_You can't stay strong forever. _

"What did he do?" She whispered, her voice hoarse and hard.

I swallowed hard. "Raped. He raped me." I choked.

Then I burst into tears, hiding my face behind my hands. I felt dirty, gross, violated, impure. I felt like I didn't belong here anymore, that I'm too much of a screw up to be acknowledged or wanted.

Without another word, she hugged me. She hugged me protectively, and I kept crying. _Why hold back?_ I thought to myself.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. We should have protected you better. God, I'm so sorry." She broke into sobs, her eyes pooling with a silver-like substance. Venom, I presumed.

"I'm just so sorry."

* * *

It was three thirty in the afternoon and Caius hadn't returned yet. I was in the garden, and I've been avoiding everyone all day. Jane was my only companion. Any Volturi member that dared bother me, Jane would have them sent away, or they would feel the pain.

She even refused to leave my side when Aro ordered to do something. He wasn't pleased, but didn't push any further. She even refused to let him see her thoughts; a rare thing for her to do. This, he wasn't very impressed with. He was unhappy that his most loyal, precious guard wasn't being obedient to her master. But I didn't bother to tell her to do the right thing, I needed a friend more than anything right now.

"He'll never want me." I murmured, sitting in the familiar bench in the garden.

It was a particularly warm afternoon, the sun glossed over all the plants. It made me smile as I remembered my firs time walking into the garden. It was an amazing feeling to see all these exotic plants. It was like a vacation in a jungle.

"You can't possibly think that." Jane muttered harshly.

"I have nothing to offer anymore." I added weakly.

"Believe me, it has been a long time since Caius has ever cared for something, much less a person. He won't give up on you; you're both soul mates. You're made for each other. He'll care for you despite your condition." She explained gently.

I smiled a little bit, but it faltered. "He never cared for Athenodora."

"Please! Never speak of that whore again!" Jane retorted. I flinched at her vulgar language. But I laughed, and it felt good to laugh. "But no, since you mentioned her, he never has. She had an odd affair. She had affairs with so many humans and vampires in different covens. I'm surprised Caius never did anything to throw her out of the Volturi coven. She had no significant talent."

"She's dead." I stated, somewhat relieved. "So, she's not the Queen anymore?"

Jane looked up for a moment. "No, I guess not." She smiled.

There was moment of silence before I realized something.

"Jacob...Jacob's still out there." I widened my eyes, standing up abruptly.

"Jacob? Who is this Jacob?" She frowned in confusion.

"He's my best friend...he found me yesterday...but then I got kidnapped again." I cringed, and fell back onto the bench.

"Wait..." Jane said, suspicion in her tone. "Is your friend a wolf?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I replied.

She frowned. "You're just looking for trouble!" She sneered harshly.

I felt offended.

"It's not my fault! I've known him since he was born; his father and my father are best friends." I defended myself.

"The Children of the Moon are no things to be friends with." She growled, her fists balling up.

"Children of the Moon? No! Jacob's a shape shifter. Their whole pack is." I told her, incredulously.

I remember Jacob telling me a legend of the Children of the Moon. The Children of the Moon are wolves who change during a Full Moon. They're way more dangerous, bigger and vicious than werewolves are. They shouldn't be associated with often.

Apparently, no one has seen or heard of any of the Children of the Moon in a long time.

"Shape shifters." She snorted. "It would explain that disgusting scent you had last night. They all smell disgusting."

"So I've been told." I winced, remembering all the times Edward commented on how unpleasant I smelled every time I came back from Jacob's house - that is, whenever I was _allowed _to go to Jacob's.

We just sat there for a while, enjoying the slight breeze of the wind and the sunshine. It was interesting to see Jane up close; when she sparkled in the sun. She looked translucent, with a million little diamonds all over her body. It was really intriguing and phenomenal; quite out of the ordinary.

"Caius is back." She whispered.

My breathing hitched and my eyes widened. Caius is back. Back from slaughtering Edward. I don't know whether I should be relieved or scared. He might find out about what really happened. But then again, Jane wouldn't betray me, she was too loyal for that - she gave up Aro, for god sakes! But I know I can't be myself around him...knowing that I'm impure and broken.

I can already tell I'll have panic attacks around him, just thinking about the truth and how I want to tell him. I don't want to tell him, though. I don't want him to find out what happened. I don't want him to think that I let Edward do this to me. I don't want him to give up on me; to give up on us. I don't want him to chuck me aside and forget about me.

_You're so fucking insecure._

I took a shaky breathe, and tried my best to relax.

"Calm down, Bella." Jane patted my shoulder. "You don't need to be worried."

But I can't help it.

* * *

I curled up in a corner of the throne hall. No one was in here; some went out to hunt or they were taking care of business. The Cullens went for a while, in search of animals.

I don't know where Caius is, I haven't seen him since yesterday. It's approximately seven in the evening, and I still haven't heard from him. Jane doesn't know where he is either.

Gianna came in once, wondering if I wanted anything. I declined her, and she walked away adding, "Just call if you need anything."

When she left, I stayed in the corner, on the ground. It was weird to be sitting in a corner of the throne room, but it was comfortable. I knew that if anyone came back soon, they would come through the throne room, and I'll be able to talk to them. I needed to talk to Carlisle, most importantly, in regards of my arm.

I was carrying a book in my arms and I opened it to the page I left off in a few days ago.

_"My word, how mortals take the gods to task! All their afflictions come from us, we hear. And what of their own failings? Greed and folly double the suffering in the lot of -"_ Then I was cut off from the passage as I heard footsteps enter the throne hall.

Slowly, I peered up from my book and there stood Caius, carelessly walking through the room.

He looked tired; unusually, for a vampire. He looked stressed - his hair was everywhere and his brows were knit together, causing him to look angry. He was definitely worried. He muttered something unintelligible before audibly cursing.

I turned nervous, which was a bad thing on my part. It caught his attention and I pretended I didn't notice him. I kept reading through the passage, not really paying attention to what the words meant.

"Isabella?" He whispered. He sounded pained.

I looked up from my book and locked eyes with him. My heart beat accelerated and I could feel myself flush. I dropped the book and brought my hands to my face.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized, his voice breaking.

He knelt beside me, but didn't touch me. I squeezed my eyes together shut; forcing myself not to cry. But how could I not, knowing that I'm going to have to lie to him now? How can I keep this from someone who just fought for my life? Simple. I can't. But I'm going to have to.

"Isabella, please speak to me." He begged.

"I'm sorry!" I wailed, fresh tears forming in my eyes for the sixth time since last night.

"Why are you apologizing?" He queried, completely baffled by my apology.

"Because this is all my fault!" I explained, through the hiccups of my sob.

"This is not your fault." He snapped sternly. He focused his gaze on me. "You didn't ask for this to happen, nor did you assume. I know that you wouldn't ask for something like this to prevail down on us. Stop blaming yourself, it's others who envy and avenge what they shouldn't."

"You make it sound like I didn't cause the death of two others." I retorted, remembering Corin and Renata.

"That isn't your fault either. The newborns were eliminated before their death; it was one of our own who betrayed us." He explained.

"If I weren't alive, none of this would have happened." I snapped back, hardening my tear-filled eyes.

"If you weren't alive," He began. "then my existence is meaningless."

I stood up and averted my eyes to the nearest exit.

"If I weren't alive, all your problems would disappear."


	13. Chapter 13

_I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a week!  
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* * *

-Chapter 13-

Bella's POV

"I don't know how much longer I can go on." I mumbled, through sobs. It has been nearly two days since I last talked to Caius. It has been three days since I've been raped. And it has been three days and two hours since I last heard from Jacob.

I was curled up into a pathetic fetal position on my bed. Alice was accompanying me and so was Jane. They got along very well.

"Bella..." Alice whispered, her voice sounding as if her heart had been broken. "Please, you don't need to mope."

I looked at her incredulously through my tears. "How can you say that?"

Alice looked down and shook her head. Jane laid a hand on Alice's shoulder, signalling if she could speak. Alice nodded slightly, her golden red eyes dimming to a dead looking brown. Her usual black, spiky hair was flat and reached her chin. It was an odd look for Alice, but it made her look youthful.

"Isabella." Jane began, a soft smiling curling on her pink lips. "I believe you should tell Master Caius about your problems. Running away from them - and him - won't do you both any good."

"I agree." Alice added, nodding. Jane smiled at Alice's eager reaction.

I looked at both of them sympathetically. One last tear rolled down my cheek before I roughly wiped them away with the cuff of my already soaked sleeve. I sniffled.

"He'll never understand. He won't want me anymore. I'm ruined. I cannot erase the trauma, the fear and the shock welled up inside me." I said, my voice cracking in the process as I had to relive the memory.

"I know, Isabella. I know exactly how you feel. Being raped and threatened is nothing to take lightly. Someone, especially a human, cannot get over something like that easily. It's terrifying, we all know that. But the person you should be telling this to - and who's probably killing himself for not making you feel any better - would be Master Caius." Jane interjected, her voice reasoning.

"Jane's right." Alice muttered. "He's your mate, Bella. He's made to love, protect and understand you. He won't think you're ruined. Trust me." She promised, an encouraging smile spread across her face.

I looked down at the sheets, staring at my puddle of tears. I took a deep breathe and tried to relax every muscle in my body. I closed my eyes, focusing on my final decision.

_Why do you even need to think this through? _The voice echoed inside my head.

Shakily, I replied, "Okay."

* * *

I walked into the throne room with Jane and Alice flanking either of my sides. They both had a look of confidence on their faces and their spontaneous smiles made me want to feel a little bit better in myself. But all I could feel was the self-pity and remorse. Frankly, I'm really sick of these feelings.

On the thrones, stood the Volturi kings. All three of them were handling some sort of business. As usual, Aro was the one negotiating and talking. Marcus was slumped in his chair, a look of despair and disappointment shadowed his features. He noticed my entrance and spark of expectancy flashed through his eyes. On the other throne, sat my mate. His eyes were dead, empty and lifeless. He was staring down at the floor, his head resting on one of his hands. He didn't seem to notice my entrance.

The vampire talking to Aro suddenly darted his eyes towards me. Jane immediately stood forward, and Aro flinched at Jane's protectiveness. Aro's still not used to the fact that Jane had voluntarily disobeyed him. Alice pulled me back, her hand wrapped tightly around my good arm. Speaking of which, I was still due to get that operation very soon. I don't know how much more pain I can get - physically.

The vampire's upper lip curled back, showing off his barring teeth that glistened with silver venom which was practically spewing from his mouth. Aro's jaw clenched. "You do not touch the girl." Aro ordered, his voice hard and demeaning.

"You're keeping a _pet _human to stay with you?" The vampire sneered. At this comment, I felt offended. I frowned furiously, but I knew better than to release my rage towards a human-feeding vampire. I don't want to become his new appetizer.

Caius's eyes flashed in my direction and his nostrils flared. At the speed of light, he was in front of me, involuntarily knocking Jane and Alice out of the way. It took them a few seconds to regain their proper composure.

"She is _not _a pet." Caius growled, blocking me from the threatening vampire's view.

"Now, calm down. You're here to handle some nuisances, not to make a conflict with the members of the Volturi. Now _that _will become _your _problem." Aro threatened, a hidden meaning behind his words.

The vampire seemed to relax for a moment, his lip curling back to its original place. His red eyes were focused on me. His face was still tense and clenched, but I assumed that was to suppress the desire to tear me to shreds and suck me dry.

"Of course." The vampire grinned, sickly sweet.

"Carry on." Aro demanded. "And Isabella, I would prefer if you were not in the throne room during business. It's a distraction." He winked. I flushed.

I looked back at Jane and Alice.

Through the bitter rage balled up inside me, I started to walk away.

"That's okay. I'm insignificant." I muttered under my breath, knowing very well that they all heard me.

You may think I'm being whiny or overreacting. But wouldn't you feel the same way if you have been raped, threatened and kidnapped? If you were the one to cause the deaths of two people you know who are cherished by others? If you put the lives of your companions at risk? You would feel the remorse, the despair, the internal suffering I have to carry every second. You would feel the same if you were keeping a secret from your mate. You would feel like utter crap knowing that your werewolf best friend is running around who knows where outside of these castle walls. And you would also know that this is slowly driving you insane.

I breathed heavily, feeling upset and slightly panicked. Jane and Alice followed closely behind.

* * *

I made it to the Cullen's dormitory in a matter of minutes, through pure guessing of the directions. I walked into a room that I assumed belonged to Carlisle and Esme and let myself in.

Carlisle was sitting in a chair near the back of the room, Esme was on the bed and the rest of the family were scattered into different parts of the room. Rosalie looked disappointed and had a hateful look in her eyes. Jasper's eyes were darting back and forth all over the ground. Emmett was caressing Rosalie's hair, yet she didn't seem to notice his presence.

"Bella!" Esme greeted me, her warm smile on her face. I didn't smile back.

"I want the operation now, please." I pleaded Carlisle, who gave me a sympathetic look.

"All right." He agreed, walking past me and out the door. "Follow me, there is a room prepared already."

I took a few steps towards him and looked behind me.

"You'll be fine." Jane reassures me, with a content smile.

I nodded and followed Carlisle out of the room. He led me to another room in the same wing and allowed me to come in.

This room was whiter than the others. There was a cot in the middle of the room, a bunch of wires, monitors and those hangers that hold up bagged liquids with IVs hanging from them. It lightly smelt of ammonia and alcohol.

"Sit on the bed, please." Carlisle gestured to the little cot.

Obediently, I sat on the cot. This moment was quite awkward, to be honest. Carlisle's son is dead on my account. But if only he knew what his son was really like; what his son did to me, then he'll never understand why he died. No one other than Alice and Jane know, and I'm praying that they don't tell anyone.

"Relax, Bella, I'm going to take off the gauze, inject some anesthetics and you will slowly fall asleep, is that alright?" Carlisle asked, looking away from me.

Meekly, I whispered, "That's fine."

The silence was eerie and my heart was beating wildly. I could tell that Carlisle was trying hard to ignore my erratic heart, and he's probably wondering why I'm so nervous, but I don't know if I can tell him. I don't know how he'll react.

Carlisle took some alcohol and rubbed it on my arm, it stung a little at first and then it started to cool down. He grabbed the syringe full of colorless liquid and brought it over to me. I looked away.

"After I inject you, you will shortly fall asleep afterwards. It is then when I will hook you up to all these wires because I understand that you do not do well in front of blood, which will be present during this operation." He explained.

I looked away at a far corner of the room. I felt the syringe pierce my skin, and I pressed my lips firmly together, biting back the urge to scream.

He pulled the damned thing out and I began to relax.

Slowly, I felt myself become drowsy and not present. My heart rate was slowing down and my eyes began to feel droopy. My thoughts became random, crazy and illogical. But I couldn't seem to control them.

_You should tell him, Bella._

But I can't do that!

_You should, he deserves to know why his son died the way he died. He deserves to know what happened between the two of you. He deserves to know. Period._

There was no use in fighting with my own conscience. My conscience would always win me over. It kind of felt like I was two people inside one body. One was sane, and one was crazy. One is driving me towards the dark and one is trying to lead me towards the light. But it was up to me, myself, to follow which side I should take. "

I turned my head over to Carlisle and forced my lips open. My last words before I fell into unconsciousness?

"Your son raped me."

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"Brother, you are not paying attention." Aro said in observation to Caius who was blankly looking at the marbled floor with disinterest. Caius shot him a dirty, cold look and his red eyes were now two black holes that seemed to swallow you whole once you look into them. Aro flinched slightly at Caius's angry stare but regained his composure just as quickly.

"What is your point?" Caius replied, irritated.

Aro sighed. "We do have duties to fulfill."

"And these are not as significant to the ones that are yet to be dealt with." Caius muttered bitterly at the King vampire.

"Please comprehend, Aro, Caius's mate is not in the best condition." Marcus interjected, pity filling his otherwise bored, dreary tone.

"Not in the best condition? She won't talk to me!" Caius growled, fury deep within him threatening to be exposed immaturely in front of his co-leaders.

Aro shook his head, with another one of his famous sighs. "Have you tried to talk to her?"

"Of course I have!" Caius furiously shouted, standing up from his throne angrily.

"What was her response?" Aro asked, curiously watching his brother pace impatiently around the throne room.

"She. Won't. Speak." Caius replied flatly, seething with anger and frustration.

"Did you do anything wrong?" Aro queried, pursing his lips.

"No. The last time she talked to anyone but Jane and Alice was...here. In this throne room. Three days ago. _When you told her to leave._" Caius was now fuming, his dark eyes scrutinizing the accused leader.

"I recall she muttered something along the lines of her being insignificant. How inaccurate." Aro shaking his head in disappointment.

"You really haven't found out yet?" Marcus blurted, resting his head in his right hand on the arm rest.

Caius darted his eyes towards the quiet leader. "Found out about what?"

"The mysteries to why she is so quiet, so introverted, discrete, shaky...afraid?" Marcus smirked, finding amusement in his brother's obliviousness.

"No." Caius shook his head, suppressing his anger.

"Have you wondered why she came into the throne room in the first place, three days ago? You know her well enough that she doesn't come in here for no reason." Marcus replied, his red eyes boring into Caius's. Aro raised his eyebrows.

"No." Caius repeated.

"Do you even know what happened after Edward kidnapped her? Didn't you wonder why boy shorts with the stench of a mutt were laying on the ground? Why there were shredded pieces of her clothing beside the boulder? Why her eyes were so dead and pleading when she saw us arriving? The fear in her expression when Edward pulled his close? The flinch of her eyes when he touched her? Didn't you _smell _her?" Marcus asked, as the questions went by, Marcus knew the Caius had no answers for those questions. He knew that Bella hadn't told Caius what happened. Hell, Bella didn't even tell Marcus. Marcus already knew. Marcus always knew.

Marcus leaned forward in his throne, his expression demeaning but careful. He had the attention of both Aro and Caius. Marcus's lips formed into a tight line, his eyes turning from red to black, his complexion paler than it had ever been.

"Because he raped her."

* * *

**Review if possible! (:**


	14. Chapter 14

_I haven't realized it's been 8 days since the last update.  
Is it just me, or is time flying by way too fast?  
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* * *

-Chapter 14-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Caius stared blankly at Marcus for what felt like hours. He didn't know how to react to this. He didn't know what to feel besides anger. He was always angry. He's angry all the time. He has all the reason to be angry. Aro was taken aback by this newfound information. He, too, did not know how to react.

There is a human in their territory who was kidnapped and raped by a vampire. What will happen now? None of them, of course, knew the exact answer to this questions. At that moment, their minds were seen at enigmas. They were speechless, shocked and confused. What will become of them?

Caius couldn't speak. His eyes wandered the room while his body remained frozen. His mind didn't seem to process Marcus's words. It's like his mind is rejecting reality. He doesn't want to know that something horrifying has happened to his mate. He doesn't want to know that his mate is hurting physically and emotionally. He doesn't want to feel the pain once he lays eyes on her again.

Because his pain is her pain.

"You can go see her, if you want." Marcus suggested, leaning back in his chair. His amused expression no longer visible on his face.

Marcus hated Edward. He always had. Something about the way that Edward analyzes everything drove Marcus crazy. Though, Marcus was aware of Edward's powers, he knew how to control his thoughts around the mind-reader. He became an expert at that.

"She's in the Cullen's wing. Under operation. She's unconscious." Marcus informed Caius, who was off before he even finished the sentence.

Caius was outside the door of the operation in a matter of seconds. He didn't enter, though, he couldn't face her right now. It made him cowardly, but it pained him. It hurt a lot to see his mate heartbroken. As much as he wanted to hold her again, he couldn't. Not yet.

He could hear Bella's quickened but paces breathing. There was clanking of numerous metals before complete silence took over the room. Curiosity spiked through Caius and he opened the door, despite his conscience shouting at him not to.

He pushed the door open to see Carlisle with his head rested in his bloody hands. Carlisle looked defeated and crushed, as if bad news had been broken to him. Carlisle looked up for the slightest moment.

"Good afternoon, Master Caius." Carlisle whispered, uninterested.

Caius stood there.

"I'll leave you with her. She should be fine." Carlisle muttered, without a second glance, he trudged out the room, leaving a nervous Caius in the room.

* * *

Still 3rd Person Omniscient POV

Jacob hadn't seen Bella in three days. He's been lost in Volterra since he last saw her, following light scents of vampires he wasn't familiar with only to lead him in wandering circles. It felt like someone was playing tricks on him but he also knew that there are vampires who feed on humans - how _disgusting_ - in this city. He is bound to run into their scents every day.

It was just before sunset. He was trudging around the city, with different clothes on, his disposable phone in one hand, and he was in some sort of busy street. He looked around, frowning at all the passerby's that gave him weird, dirty looks.

Almost immediately, he was smacked in the face with a strong, bleach-like scent. It was a vampire, he thought. Following the scent, he saw a tall blond, red eyes with a slim figure wearing modernized clothes, holding out pamphlets to tourists.

"Free tours of the Volterra Castle!" She shouted, waving pamphlets in the air. Groups of people surrounded her, intrigued by her announcement.

Jacob smirked, this place was a busy street. He can approach her with her trying to kill him, thanks to all these people. She can't eliminate all these humans faster than Jacob can kill her. This is his advantage to get into the castle. To talk to the kings.

He walked towards the blond vampire. She smiled but it quickly faltered when she caught his scent.

He only needed to mutter one word. Only one word for her to understand his purpose there.

"Bella."

* * *

Caius stared blankly at Bella's unconscious figure. Her arm was elevated thanks to a sling hooked up to a bar. Her arm had long stitches all up and down. It was bound to leave scars. Scars that Caius was not looking forward to seeing.

Her chest raised up and then went back down, a sign of her liveliness. There was a hitch in her heartbeat, and Caius snapped his eyes directly to hers. Ever so slowly, her eyes started to flutter open, but she was gazing at the ceiling. She wasn't acknowledging anything else around her. It was as if she were dreaming with her eyes opened.

"Isabella?" Caius croaked, hoping he wouldn't startle her.

He didn't. Her eyes averted to his immediately. Her chocolate brown, broken eyes gazed at him for only a second before the emptiness in her eyes returned back to the ceiling.

"Hi." She responded, her voice small.

Caius moved forward, towards her. He leaned on the cot, one of his hands caressing the side of her cheek. She didn't flinch at his touch, like she normally would, she was acting as if he weren't there. As if he were a ghost.

"How are you feeling?" He whispered.

The question lingered in the air. She didn't even open her mouth to begin saying anything. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, as if she were laying on her death bed. Her complexion was pale and her lips were white. Caius didn't understand - this was only supposed to be a minor operation. How come she's acting as if she had heart surgery?

"Fine." Bella replied, surprising Caius with her late answer.

Caius nodded, allowing the silence to fill the room. He was frowning down at her, though, a puzzled expression in his features. He wasn't understanding her off behavior.

"She's in shock." Carlisle muttered, leaning against the doorway. Caius didn't even hear, nor smell, Carlisle's presence. He was too distracted at the moment.

"Of what?" Caius inquired, the obviousness to his question was idiotic.

"You don't know?" Carlisle queried, his tone appalled and surprised.

Caius nodded, slowly. His jaw clenched as he spat through his teeth, "I know."

"I'm sorry." Carlisle said, but his apology wasn't fulfilling. No apology can erase the damage done to a person's soul.

"Apologies are words that try to mend up wounds. But words can only go so far. If the wound is soul deep, then it cannot be healed." Caius murmured.

Carlisle sighed. "Agreed."

Caius caressed his love's face, his eyes never leaving her.

* * *

"Master Aro!" Heidi called.

Aro frowned at Heidi. She wasn't leading the usual tourist group into the castle. Instead, a foul odor followed her right into the throne room. Aro squinted his eyes. He was unfamiliar with this scent, this disgusting, rancid scent, but he knew that this wasn't good. Whatever it was.

Heidi stepped forward, awaiting Aro's appraisal.

"Heidi." Aro nodded, though frowning at the same time. "Where are our usual guests?" He hissed.

"There is a visitor here, I have found, instead." Heidi said, gesturing to the dark hallway.

"Jacob?" Heidi called. Aro knew that this name was familiar, but he couldn't quite pin point where he had heard the name from. With a puzzled expression, he anxiously waited for the figure to drift out from the shadows.

Out came an angry looking, russet skin colored boy. He had short black hair, black eyes, and a scowl on his features. His scent wafted through the room and it burned the nostrils of the vampires. Some guards had to cover their faces with their hands or stop breathing completely.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise." Aro muttered bitterly. "Who must you be?"

Jacob shot the King vampire a dirty look and rolled his eyes.

"Haven't you seen me before?" Jacob retorted, immediately not fond with the leader.

Aro shook his head. "I don't believe we had the pleasure of meeting."

"Maybe not...physically." Jacob thought, his dark eyes piercing Aro's.

Aro's eyes widened and his nostrils flared, a whiff of Jacob's scent filling his lungs. He had to control his gag reflexes and regain his composure.

"You're..."

"Bella's best friend. And I know that if you kill me, she'll never forgive you." Jacob's eyes were no longer staring at Aro, but were now staring at Caius, who was entering the room.

"How may we help you?" Aro growled impolitely at the werewolf, who wasn't too impressed with the leader's behavior.

"How else?" Jacob shrugged. "I'm here to see Bella."

"No." Caius snapped, his body rigid and stiff.

"She's _my _best friend. And I know that she knows that I'm looking for her." Jacob said, his patience shortening.

"She's resting." Aro spat through his teeth. "You can't see her."

"Can I see her afterwards?" Jacob asked.

"No!" Aro retorted.

"Hey, watch it, leech-" Jacob warned.

"Jacob!" A shrilling voice shrieked.

Jacob frowned, he was unfamiliar with this voice and this sound. He squinted as a short, blond haired, red-eyed girl came prancing through one of the many hallways leading to the room.

Aro whirled around. Now Aro was livid. He had had enough with Jane's rebellious attitude. He didn't care that it was because of Bella. He didn't care that Jane had this superior ability to illusion the feeling of pain. He was furious about the fact that she doesn't talk to him anymore. She doesn't guard him anymore. She doesn't even want to look at him anymore.

Ignoring Aro's infuriated glare, Jane smiled up at the six foot seven werewolf and didn't acknowledge the horrible stench that he has.

"Do I know you?" Jacob said, slightly shocked at the vampire's friendly aura.

"Nope. But I know _you_. You're Bella's friend. She talks about you sometimes." Jane said, kind of bewildered by his height. "The Cullens are in another wing. I'll take you to them. They'll have some answers for you." Jane reassured him.

"You see?" Jacob smirked, glancing at Aro. "Now _that _is how you treat a guest."

Aro snarled.

"Find them. You can do that, can't you?" Jane queried.

"Of course." Jacob nodded.

"Then go. Don't find Isabella. I'll take you to her later." Jane smiled at him.

"Thanks..." Jacob muttered, unsure of her name.

"It's Jane." Jane told him.

He nodded once. "Jane." Then he disappeared through the dark hallway.

Aro stared angrily at his former guard. She didn't acknowledge him, as she hasn't in the past three days. Instead, she walked over to Caius and Marcus, who were having a small discussion amongst themselves. They stopped once Jane approached them.

"Don't kill him. Isabella needs some of her past with her right now. Especially a family friend. It will keep her sane." Jane explained, a silent plead behind her words.

"Of course not." Marcus said. His eyes averted behind Jane, a distant look in his eyes. Caius did the same.

Jane turned around, and no more than five yards away, was a seething Aro. His eyes were glowing red, the brightest Jane has ever seen. His fingers curled inwards, slight cracks could be seen in between his knuckles.

"You haven't been on duty for a while, Jane." He spat her name. Jane's lips parted slightly.

"So, what? There are more important businesses to handle. You are not defenseless." Jane retaliated, taking slight offense in her Master's tone.

"But you do have duties to implicate. You have not been in guard in three days. What if one of our subject's were to be attacked in a nanosecond? We cannot act that fast. But you can." Aro pointed out, glaring at the innocent Jane.

"Isabella needed me." Jane explained, that statement was all that needed to be said. What else is there more to say?

"Isabella has the Cullens." Aro retorted.

"But Isabella doesn't _need _them. She doesn't _need _a constant reminder of what happened to her. She doesn't _need _to relive the pain she had felt three days ago. _You _know what happened. And you are treating this as if nothing happened. Do you _want _Bella to commit suicide?" Caius snarled at this. "Do you _want _Caius to end up like Marcus?" Jane challenged.

Aro's expression angered but he looked like he was in deep thought. His lip curled back and a low hiss escaped. Jane was not frightened by this at all.

"Didn't think so." Jane smiled.

Jane turned back to the other kings, but noticed how their expression shifted in a matter of seconds. Without a second thought, Jane spun around and immediately put Aro under the illusion of intense pain. He was in a lunged position, half-way through his attack against Jane then he plummeted to the ground in a heap of pain. Jane intensified the sensation and noticed a crack on her Master's face. Knowing well enough that she had never put this much pain on someone, she knew Aro would never upset her again.

She released him from the pain.

"Jane, you're violating the rules and you're being ridiculous by-" One of the guards interrupted.

Jane glared at the guard and he shut up immediately. It was one mistake to point out the obvious to Jane, but to insult her? Take it from that unassuming guard. Don't mess with Jane.

Marcus and Caius feared Jane for a slight second, before realizing that she was siding with them.

"Jacob won't hurt us." Jane informed them. "He's here to see Bella. I think he deserves that."

"Nothing more." Caius sneered, glancing at the stunned looking Aro.

Jane averted her eyes to the defeated King Aro.

She nodded once. "Agreed."

* * *

Jacob resisted the urge to follow Bella's scent into the opposite hall. Following Jane's directions, he sniffed out the scents that he recognized the most. There was no conversation going on between the Cullen's, as far as he could tell. It all seemed quiet, except for Alice's soft humming and Rosalie drumming her fingers against something.

Jacob didn't knock when he reached their room. He let himself in and glowered at the vampires in front of him.

"I was told to come here." He muttered.

Most of the Cullen's were surprised to see Jacob standing there.

"Jacob, what are you doing here?" Esme queried, her pitchy voice filled with shock.

"I thought the pixie would have told you by now." Jacob nodded towards Alice, who was nervously fidgeting with her fingers. Alice always had the tendency to pick up human habits.

"Alice?" Rosalie frowned, her voice menacing and threatening.

Alice's wide eyes widened up at them. "Oh, Jacob." She smiled a little bit, but returned into deep thought.

Jasper was particularly worried about her. Alice seemed erratic all of a sudden. If Edward were still alive, he would have told him what's going on in her mind, but he wasn't there to share that sort of information. It was a waste to eliminate someone with such talent, but someone with such a dark soul needed to be terminated. Despite their gifts.

Jacob sighed and rolled his eyes, irritated. "Anyway," He began, slowly. "I came here to find out what the hell happened and why the fuck Bella's staying here. I wanted to find out the real truth, to know if Bella was lying on the phone or whatever."

"Why would she be lying to you?" Rosalie retorted, wrinkling up her nose at his stench.

"Because," Jacob said, fighting the urge to call Rosalie names. "she could be killed for saying the wrong thing, for all I know. And why the fuck didn't you stay with her?"

"Can we please have a discussion without all the swearing?" Esme pleaded, sighing irritably.

"Of course." Jacob said, a tight smile plastered on his face.

"Well," Alice began, her voice shaky but stern. She came out of whatever trance she was in. "_Edward _and I were the only ones present when they told us they had to keep her."

Jacob frowned and let out a sharp breath. "Continue." He said.

Alice nodded once, her stare blank as she tried to recall what happened next.

"We aren't allowed to stay. I never knew why, but they just wanted to keep Bella there, to make sure that she won't spill our secret." Alice bit her bottom lip. "And I guess we weren't allowed to stay with her because we can persuade her into tricking them that she won't. But she wouldn't tell anyone anyway."

"By letting her stay here, you put her in a vulnerable position. How was she supposed to defend herself from blood thirsty vampires? She's just human! And _they're_ diet is not like yours." Jacob sneered, his jaw clenched as he pictured Bella alone in a room, shaking and terrified.

"Because of Jane." Alice said.

"The blond, short one?" Jacob queried. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Her intentions are pure." Alice explained. "I saw how she was going to treat Bella, and I helplessly put all my trust in her to keep Bella safe. Jane feels bad for Bella and she's grown quiet fond of her."

"That would explain why she was so rebellious to King leech, back there." Jacob smirked, remembering Jane ignoring her Master.

"Exactly." Alice sighed. "This has become a big problem."

"Indeed it has." Rosalie sneered.

"Bella's still resting, but she'll wake up soon. Caius is just completely out of it. Jane and Aro are having issues with each other. Edward's gone. Athenodora's gone..." Alice trailed off.

"And Bella's considered missing back home." Jacob notified.

"Yeah." Alice nodded.

"Who the fu-" Esme shot Jacob a glare. "_hell_," He corrected himself. "is Athenodora?"

All the Cullen's looked at each other before Alice replied. Jacob began to feel a little suspicious.

"She used to be Caius's mate." Alice barely whispered audibly. Jacob's frown tensed and he looked like he was trying to make sense of things.

"What do you mean 'used to be'." He quoted, looking at all of them in disbelief.

"You know..." Emmett muttered. "Used to _connect_. Used to be _together_."

Jacob shot the buff vampire a dirty look. "That makes no sense."

"They used to be married, in other words." Alice interjected, shooting Emmett the same dirty look Jacob did.

"And he dumped her for Bella?" Jacob said, his rage starting to ignite.

"Calm down." Jasper murmured.

"No! He trudged his used toy to the side for a new one?" Jacob growled, his fists clenching and unclenched repeatedly. His breathing started to quicken before Alice jumped in to a quick explanation.

"They used to have a bond. But not anymore. Not for the last...eighteen years?" Alice guessed, her lips pursed.

"That's revolting." Jacob commented.

A moment went by before Alice gasped and dropped the bracelet she was fiddling with in her hands. Everyone rushed to her side and watched as Alice's icy, black eyed stare went off into space.

It was a minute later when she snapped out of her vision and was welcomed back into reality.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, shaking her slightly.

"It's Bella. She's going to wake up in one minute." Alice said, her voice unsure.

"Is that all?" Rosalie inquired, noticing her sister's strange tone.

"No." Alice shook her head. "There's something wrong."

* * *

**Review if possible! (: **


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for reviewing, everybody (:_  
This chapter is a twister. _  
**Please read and review!**

* * *

-Chapter 15-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"What do you mean, Alice?" Rosalie asked, concern engulfing her voice.

Alice shook her head, her brows furrowing creating an indent. "I-it's like I've missed something. Something's missing."

"You're not making any sense, sweetheart." Jasper commented, walking over to a stunned Alice.

"Something's happened and I can't see it!" She shrieked, making everyone in the room flinch at her sudden outburst.

"Don't worry about it. She's safe, Carlisle's with her." Jasper said, soothing his wife.

"I hope she's okay. I hope." Alice mumbled.

* * *

Bella's POV

This place, I swear I've seen it before. The moss, the rocks, the grass and the trees. It all looks so familiar to me yet I have no name for it, I have no place for it. It's just some region I recognized for some reason.

I walked around, or I _think _I'm walking, I don't know. I can't really feel my feet here. It just feels like I'm _going_, _moving_, but not really _feeling_. When I walk, I walk slow. Slower than I'd normally walk if I were trying not to trip.

I edged closer to the clearing, where there was a huge boulder placed right next to one of the trees. Now, I _know_, I've been here. I just can't remember when I was here last or where this place is.

As I make my way to the opening, I see everything. The short trees that surrounded me, the dying grass the color of straw, the boulder was a sickly grey color. The kind of color you see in the sky before a storm hits. Then I avert my eyes to a splash of color beside the boulder; blue material scattered everywhere in shredded pieces.

Then it hits me. I know where I am. I know what this place is. And I know what _happened _here. I thought I'd never have to come back here; the memories are forever going to be etched into my mind. Why must I relive it?

"I knew you'd come back..." A soft voice whispers.

I turn around, but no one's there. My heart starts to race as I began to grow nervous.

"Oh, there's no need to be frightened, baby." It speaks, trying to sound soothing. But it sounded more of a killer's voice than a comforting one.

"I know you miss me." It says, as I walk around in circles, trying to match the voice with a figure.

"Stop running in circles, love." The voice whispers, sending chills up and down her back.

"Who are you?" I asked.

At that moment, I felt vulnerable. I had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and I wanted to puke up nothing. I don't know what was going on, I just knew that whatever it was, it isn't good.

"I'm the love of your life..." It sneers, somewhere near the trees. I avert my eyes there immediately.

Slowly, a visible figure emerged from the forest. It was tall and lean and its hair cast a weird shadow on the ground. The sun blinded me, making me unable to see his face. The only thing that hinted me on who this person was, was it's masculine voice.

"I'm your Edward." It mutters.

I backed up a few feet. "I don't love you!"

As cliche as that sounds, it's true. I don't understand how he cannot understand that I don't love him anymore. It's time to move on. He lied to me; I was never his mate. How can you lie to someone you love? Simple answer to that question; you can't.

"Of course you do...and I love you...just let me prove it." And at that moment, I knew what was going to happen next.

As his figure edged closer to me, I tried to back away, but my pace looked so much more slower than his. He was in front of me faster than I could blink, his right arm hooking around my waist.

I screamed.

* * *

I woke up, sweat beading my face and making my hair cling to my cheeks and my neck. My heart was racing fast and I felt really hot. I couldn't see anything for a moment, as I was not really concentrating on my vision.

The dream felt so real, so vivid. It's like my mind is putting that one moment on repeat. I hated it. I had to go through it once, I don't need a self reminder of it.

"Bella!" A rough voice shrieks.

A big figure bursts through the door and flings itself on me. I noticed how warm - too warm - this person felt, I noticed how he smelt musky, I noticed how his frame was way too big for me. It only meant one thing - this was Jacob!

"Jake? You're here?" I queried, shocked.

He released his tight grip on me and backed up. He smiled widely. "Yeah, I'm here."

"H-how..."

"You're friend, Jane, is really helpful." He commented, nodding at the same time.

I smiled. "She is."

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? You're heart is beating so fast! And you're sweating! Are you hot?" He blurted out too many questions for me to keep track of, so I waited for him to notice how stunned and speechless I looked.

"I'm-m good." I said. There's no need for him to know about that dream, it would only worry him more.

He sighed. "You've always been a terrible liar."

I blushed feverishly. "It's nothing, don't worry."

He looked at me unsteadily, frowning as if he were trying to figure out what I was trying to hide.

"Oh, Bells, you don't need to worry anymore." He said. "The bastard's gone now."

I blinked hard, forcing those goddamned tears not spill. "How did you-"

"I can smell him off of you." He growled, his nostrils flaring and his eyes were shut.

I looked away. "Oh."

"But," He interjected. "I know that's not what you're really worried about."

God, how did he know?

I smiled weakly. "It's like you can read my mind."

"Come on, Bella..." He pressed, taking a seat in one of the chairs placed next to this small little cot.

I didn't notice that one of my arms were attached to an IV, my opposing arm. I didn't think that I would need one, considering this was a small operation. I averted my eyes to the arm that was operated on and noticed that it was in a cast now. A solid, white cast that covered my entire forearm was now on my body.

I sighed. Jacob always knew something was up without me even having to tell him.

"You're right." I confessed in a small voice. I decided to stare up at the ceiling, knowing that it would be easier to tell Jacob all this without having to stare at his face. "That's not what I'm worried about...entirely."

"Then, what is it?" He inquired, his voice gentle now, almost a whisper but not quite.

"My worthiness." I explained, gulping. "I feel-I feel like I'm not good enough anymore. That part that," I paused. "_Edward_ took away from me...it was something I couldn't offer anyone else. It wasn't something that...that I can't get back. It was a part of me that was meant for someone else. And-and he took it away.

I'm spoiled, _ruined_, now. I'm a lost soul with a torn heart. I resemble the walking dead with a missing part. I don't know what he thinks of me now."

I stopped, catching a glance at Jacob's heartbroken face. He looked like he could cry at any given moment. He cleared his throat and rubbed his reddish eyes.

"You're not spoiled, Bella. There's no one on Earth like you. If he loves you like they all say he does, then he won't give a crap about that, he'll only care about you. I know I do." Jacob tells me, somewhat in a comforting matter.

I curl up in a fetal position on the cot, my back facing Jacob.

"Has he tried to talk to you?" Jacob asked, his voice wondering.

I nodded. "He did, a lot."

"But did you talk to him?" Jacob inquired, his voice challenging but calm.

I didn't speak for a minute. Whenever Caius came into the room...my mouth was zipped tight and my heart went on lock down mode. I couldn't even look at him the day after we got back - I felt like too much of a monster to be worthy of his presence. He always attempted to talk to me, to try to get me to speak to him about what happened, but I'd always refuse or I wouldn't talk at all - fake that I was sleeping or lie about how tired I am.

He always left with the same depressed look on his face. And I hated making him feel that way. I hated making him feel like crap. I despised it as much as I despised my raper. But I felt like a piece of dust around him, insignificant, unimportant. As soon as I worked up the guts to tell him about what happened not too long ago, I was shut down. By Aro. It was then when I realized I was unwanted.

Caius didn't even notice my presence in the throne room until I was being threatened.

"I talked to him...an hour ago, maybe." I guessed.

I felt the slightest shift in the atmosphere.

"You were awake before?" Jacob queried, his voice laced with disbelief and concern.

"Yeah." I replied, somewhat confused.

"Alice said...I guess she didn't see it happening." Jacob concluded, shaking his head.

"What?" I muttered, turning around, meeting Jacob's confused and startled face.

"Alice only mentioned you waking up at this moment...nothing of before." Jacob stated, his tone was far-off sounding like he was deep in thought.

"She couldn't see me?" I squeaked, sitting upright.

"I guess not..." He confirmed.

Suddenly, I felt nauseated all of a sudden. A pang heat washed over me before I felt the little contents inside of my stomach leak up my esophagus and I started spewing liquids and food from my mouth. It was a good three seconds before the entire Cullen clan came rushing into the room, all of their eyes wide as they watched me puke all over the floor.

I groaned and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, disgusted. I closed my eyes and winced slightly as I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen.

"Gah!" I moaned, with my good arm I rubbed my left side.

"Bella!" Alice cried, catching me as I rolled off the cot and nearly hit the floor.

"I-I don't feel too well..." I mumbled, my vision blurry and spotty.

"Let's get you into a proper bed. Carlisle will be with you soon." Alice informed me, before rushing me out of the medical equipped room into my old room, formerly shared with Caius.

As she put me down gently on the bed, I felt really drowsy and lethargic.

"Alice..." I croaked out, as she gently took the remaining part of the IV out of my arm. It was painful. "Can I get water?"

"Sure." She said, and she left the room.

I could barely see anything. It was all a daze and in slow motion. Jacob came rushing into the room as well as Jane, who's face was showing excessive surprise and fear.

Alice was back within seconds, holding a small cup of water. She handed it to be carefully and I grasped the cup tightly. I put my lips to it and gulped all of it down.

"Are you feeling better?" Alice asked, her voice anxious and her brows were curved upwards in a worried expression.

Before I could reply, the water was rejecting my body and it spluttered all over me. I looked at the water...it was tinted red.

Jane's eyes widened and Jacob rushed to my side immediately.

"Oh, god."

* * *

_Next chapter we'll really focus on more of the Volturi and Bella's condition._  
**Please review if possible! (:  
**


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey, hope you guys are liking the story.  
I'm prepared to stop this story at Chapter 25. I don't want to drag it on forever.  
Can ya'll do me a favor and review? I'm going to be away for a while and won't be able to get back 'till a week later and it would please me so to return back to reviews and to know what ya'll are thinking.  
_**Please read and review!**

* * *

-Chapter 16-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

As soon as Jane heard cries coming from the operation room, she left the throne room immediately. Marcus frowned at Jane's eagerness to leave and he eye Aro carefully who breathed harshly through his nostrils.

Aro did not hate Isabella, that wasn't the case here. He adores Isabella; he thought she was a delight to have around minus all the complications she has caused involuntarily. But he's not used to having Jane disobey him. She has been around for thousands of years, guarding him, protecting the Volturi and having little conversations here and there.

"You'll have to get used to it for a few more months." Marcus told him earlier. And Aro sighed at the advice, he wasn't happy that he wasn't getting his way, but he was reluctant to be patient.

Everything in the throne room was quiet. The vampire that nearly attacked Isabella was standing there in front of the three kings. His gaze shifted to where Jane fled off to, and he breathed in deeply. Sensing the human, he was prepared to run there and drink Isabella dry.

"You will be slaughtered if you decide to go in there." Marcus hissed, his tone dark and dangerous, it made the guest vampire shiver unnecessarily.

"You're dismissed." Aro muttered, waving him off. "If your issue isn't resolved within three days, we will be of service."

The guest vampire's lower lip trembled as he breathed in uneasily through his mouth. He can practically taste the human's scent on his tongue. But he knew that if he decided to kill her, he too, will be dead.

The guest vampire nodded and was immediately escorted out of the throne hall by two Volturi guards.

Aro turned around from where he stood - in the middle of the throne room - his expression tired and stressed. He looked up at his brothers, observing them critically.

"Brother," Aro addressed Caius. "you look unwell."

Caius's stare snapped up to Aro's and it nearly made Aro flinch.

"I have every reason to be." Caius retorted, his mood was sour.

"May I ask why?" Aro queried, the question lingering in the air.

Caius looked away. "Guess."

Aro sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I suppose it is about Isabella."

Caius didn't say anything, he just glared at Aro with an intense, hateful gaze.

"Why are you so hostile?" Aro questioned, frowning as he noticed Caius's open expression.

Marcus looked between the both of them. He felt the tension between the both of them. Although Marcus seems to not know much, he does. He understands everything that has been happening and has been observing, from the dark, what goes on and he predicts the conflicts between individuals. Marcus was always so introverted and discrete, he always found the time to be observant.

"Jane made an excellent point." Caius spat sarcastically.

"I do not recal-"

"Of _course _you don't. You seem to be brushing off this situation like it's nothing. Do you not care?" Caius inquired, the question was flabbergasting.

Aro stuttered. "But-but of course I do!"

"Really?" Caius challenged, leaning forward in his seat. "You actually care that there was just a war here? Do you actually care that Renata and Corin are gone? Do you actually care that Isabella isn't doing well? Do you actually care about Jane - who seems to be avoiding you lately? Do you care at _all_, Aro?" Caius growled, the fiery in his words were remarkable and the questions took Aro aback.

Aro didn't coil back, though. "I do. I do care."

"Then, show some compassion!" Caius suggested, throwing his hand up in the air.

Aro's eyes went dark. "I just don't want you to end up alone, broken. I fear talking about Isabella, mentioning _anything _about what had so recently happened in front of her will trigger something deep within her. I do not want you to see the pain inflicted in her eyes and watch you struggle as you deal with this. You do not deserve pain, either."

Caius got up. Rewinding and playing Aro's monologue over and over in his head. On repeat.

Before Caius left the room, he looked back and stared Aro straight in the eye.

"I don't want her to go through this alone."

* * *

Caius followed Isabella's heartbeat in order to find her. As he made his way to the desired room, he pushed through the doors, ignoring the glares that were shot his way.

He saw Isabella laying on the bed, her eyes closed but her heartbeat was irregular and so was her breathing. So she must be awake. He didn't move, though, he stayed put, watching as Carlisle ran a series of tests. Thankfully, the blood test had already been done so he wouldn't have to worry about killing his mate.

Jane was standing there, next to Isabella, holding her free hand. A worried expression on her face as her usual sullen mask slipped away.

Carlisle used an odd machine to determine some of the test results. But he claims it will take a while for it to be done.

"What happened?" Caius queried, his voice sounding awkward as it broke through the eerie silence.

Carlisle shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. She's ill, is all I can gather."

Caius nodded, his eyes darting back to Isabella, who's quickly turning paler than before.

"Shh, rest." Jane whispered to Isabella.

She gave the slightest of movement; a frown and a twitch of her mouth. "I heard something."

"That's just Caius." Jane informed Isabella, her voice desperate to feed her an explanation. "Please do not stress."

Isabella looked like she was going to sit up but she forced herself down. "Okay." She murmured, barely audible, even to the super hearing given to the vampires.

"What could it be?" Alice moaned from the corner of the room. Her head was in her hands as she shook her head violently. She seemed to be frustrated.

"Calm down." Rosalie said, her eyes shooting deathly looks to her sister.

"I can't see Bella's future anymore!" Alice wailed, and everyone's breathing hitched.

"Do you mean..." Emmett began to say.

"No!" Alice said, shaking her head. "I can see blurriness and it's spotty. I can just make out her hair color and another dark, blurry blob next to her but I can't make out what the hell's going on then." She cried, her voice straining.

"Don't stress her out, Alice." Jacob sneered.

Caius's hard gaze turned towards the werewolf. He hadn't even noticed that he was in the room. But it would explain the horrid stench the mutt gave off. It was absolutely repulsive to everyone except Bella. Jacob returned Caius's intense stare with a look that seemed to give off the air that he was secretly plotting his death.

"You're right. Sorry." Alice apologized, apologetically smiling at Isabella whose eyes were still closed.

"S'okay." Isabella murmured back, her voice clear but small.

Her heart rate began to pick up its pace and she breathed deeply for a second before whimpering.

"What's wrong with her?" Caius sneered, feeling completely helpless.

"She's nauseated and in great pain surrounding the abdominal area. The cause is yet to be found." Carlisle explained profoundly as he put away a test tube filled with reddish liquid.

"Something moving!" Isabella shrieked, her free hand moving towards her stomach. "Oh god, it hurts!"

Jane's hand moved next to Isabella's, right on her stomach. Jane flinched and jerked her hand away, gasping at the same time.

"So it is." Jane breathed, agreeing with Isabella's statement.

Carlisle stood still for a moment and observed Isabella's pale face with a critical look.

"Everyone out." He ordered, his tone hard and demanding.

"You cannot order us." Jane clarified, her eyes demeaning and threatening.

"Very well." Carlisle sighed. "Stay if you must. My family, out. Please."

Hesitantly but reluctantly, the Cullen family, besides Carlisle, were out of the room without arguing. The door closed behind them softly and Isabella let out a long sigh.

"Bella?" Carlisle called.

Isabella breathed in sharply. "Yes?"

"Rest here for another day. Tomorrow, I surely will have an answer to your condition." He replied, his face clear of confusion and was now replaced with determination.

Isabella nodded and cringed. "Okay."

"As for you two, I must speak with you immediately." Carlisle addressed Jane and Caius.

Jane and Caius exchanged a glance with each other. But followed Carlisle outside the room, where a hypothesis was stated.

* * *

"You're not serious, are you, Carlisle?" Jane questioned, abashed.

Certainly if you were to hear news like this, especially in these circumstances, it would shock you, too. But this was beyond belief. No immortal has ever heard of such a situation.

An immortal impregnating a mortal? It would seem to be unbelievable.

"I would never lie to you." Carlisle promised, his eyes wild.

Jane sighed, looking back at the double doors that were closed shut. Isabella was in there right now, laying in bed with agonizing pain, unaware that she is carrying a hybrid child.

"We have to get rid of the thing." Caius said flatly. "There's no way she's going to keep that wretched monster inside of her."

Carlisle ran a trembling hand through his golden hair. Jane frowned at Caius.

"Master, with all due respect, it is also Bella's decision to whether or not she wants keep the child." Jane argued, defending Bella's rights.

"Yes, Jane, I'm aware of that." The leader snapped back.

Jane ignored Caius's rude tone. "What are we to do now?"

Carlisle looked up at the childish vampire, her youthful face still held some promise and hope even during this situation.

"Should we tell the others?" Jane queried through the silence.

Caius curled back his lips slightly. "Aro will want to get rid of the thing immediately. It's an immortal child, it cannot be trusted."

"Think before we tell the others, though, Master." Jane begged. "Bella's your mate, thus making that child yours, too."

Caius was about to retort something witty when he caught the scent of the werewolf coming back. Caius's nostrils flared and Jane sighed irritably.

As Jacob came into view, he narrowed his eyes as he noticed all three vampires standing outside the door.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't someone be watching over Bella?" Jacob growled, about to barge his way back into the bedroom. That was before Jane stopped him.

"Don't go in there." She warned him.

It was bad enough that they hadn't told Isabella about the child yet, but for Jacob to find out without an explanation? All of them feared Jacob would tell Isabella about this baby and persuade her into doing something she might regret.

They needed to discuss this with the others.

"Why not?" Jacob inquired, his brows furrowing.  
"Because I say so. Now back up." Jane ordered, slightly pushing back the werewolf. Surprisingly, Jacob didn't fight back. Why would he fight back to the only vampire that bothered to be polite to him when he first got here?

Jacob observed the concerned, confused expressions on all of their faces. It gave him an uneasy feeling.

"What's going on?" He asked, fighting the urge to growl at all of them.

Caius snapped out of his trance. "Get Marcus and Aro, Jane. Everyone from the Elite Guards as well. No one else. Tell them to be in the main hall immediately. Come if you want." He snaked a glance towards Jacob, who was frowning at Caius intently.

Without a moment's waste, Jane sped down the hall, leaving a stunned Carlisle to take care of Isabella and a confused werewolf to wonder what the hell's going on.

* * *

Caius was in denial the moment Carlisle broke the news to him. He didn't want to believe that his Bella was pregnant with a vampire child that could kill her if they let her keep it. He didn't think about how Bella would feel about his decision to get rid of the child.

Caius was angry. He _is _angry. But why wouldn't he be? Someone Bella trusted, - or more so, _thought_ she trusted - kidnapped, threatened then raped her, leaving her empty and broken. He despised the pain that this has brought upon her. But he couldn't do anything to help. Only time can heal the pain. But he was truly angry that she was in danger. A demon child, that doesn't even belong to him, was growing inside her.

He sat in his throne, along with the two other leaders of the vampire world. His stare bored into the eyes of the Elite Guard, standing before them, with wondering faces. It was rare to have an assembly so sudden. They all assumed it must be important.

Jane stood in front of all of them, all their eyes fixed to Jane's awaiting being. With a serious face on, she began to make an announcement.

"I suggest all of you to remain silent. Only be spoken to if you are being specifically questioned. This assembly is rather abrupt, but still holds the significance of all the other assemblies. Perhaps a little more." Jane's tired stare edged away from the audience and fixed hers to her Master, Aro.

Aro stood up, a graceful smile on his lips and he nodded to Jane once. He had forgiven Jane for her 'inexplicable behavior' but understood that in their current predicament, it is mandatory to have Jane comfort Isabella. Aro does not want to watch his brother whisk away, like Marcus has.

"Thank you, dear Jane." Aro said. Jane nodded. "First, I must thank you all for your help in defeating the newborn army and getting rid of a variety of nuisances. It is greatly appreciated. We grieve the lost of our dear Renata and Corin. As well as Athenodora, who is no longer a part of our coven." There was a brief moment of silence that went by before Aro continued. "However, this is not my assembly to host..." With a kind gesture, Aro held open his arm to gesture towards Caius, who got up immediately.

"As you all know, Isabella has been staying here for two weeks now." He was cut off by murmurs and hisses from everyone corner of the room.

"Silence!" He sneered, the room was dead quiet within a second.

"It is, in fact, customary that you do not disturb her. But protect her when needed. Is this understood?" Caius questioned.

They nodded in unison.

"That is all." Caius concluded,

The room was cleared up within seconds. Aro looked over at his blond haired brother.

"I know that you're hiding something from us, Caius." Aro accused, it was judgmental, but it was a clear statement.

"And if I am?" Caius challenged.

"If it involves the safety of those dear to us, I think it is in line that we must know." Aro explained, folding his hands over his chest.

Caius let out a tired sigh. "Jane is already aware of the situation." He added. Jane nodded in confirmation.

"What situation?" Aro queried. This also seemed to catch the attention of Marcus, who sat upright rather than slouched. His brows furrowed.

"Isabella's pregnant." He sneered.

Those two words weren't the problem to him. But the _reality _of it is. He's not prepare for this situation - none of them were. No one dared to speak a word, fearing that what their opinion is would be foul or wrong to the blond king's ears.

Nonetheless, Caius was ready to take this challenge on.

If only all of them agreed to do so as well.

* * *

**Review if possible (:**


	17. Chapter 17

_This is Chapter 17 for you! :) I hope you like it. It's short, I know, shoot me. But I couldn't think of anything else to put in here. Whatever you're about to read, it needed to be done now.  
__I hope you are all enjoying this.  
_**Read and review, please. **

* * *

-Chapter 17-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Isabella was not getting any better. As the days go by, she grows weaker, more lethargic and pale. You can see the skeleton of the cranium on her, she was practically dead. The hollows of her cheeks made her cheekbones so prominent that it hurt to even touch her face. The dark circles around her eyes made her look like a zombie. She was exceptionally pale, more like the color of a toy treasure map - yellow and dirty.

She hasn't bathed in days. How could she? It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to even twitch her fingers. The thing insider her was slowly killing her, and no one could do anything but stand by and watch her wither in pain.

Caius suggested that they kill the monster, but Alice and Jane pointed out that if they did decide to terminate the demon inside of Isabella, it could possibly kill Isabella, too. It was too much of a risk to take. Caius could barely look at his love's face with wincing every second as she gasps in pain. A couple of times, the monster in her kicked, resulting in black and purple bruises all over her abdomen. You can clearly see all the veins in her entire body. She might as well been a poster for the human body in a science class.

The scary part is, it's only been a week since they found out she's pregnant.

"I can't stand by and watch her die." Jacob spat, exiting the room. Isabella was fast asleep, so she couldn't hear his sudden outburst.

Caius followed the mangy wolf out the door. "I can't either." He agreed, and for once, they agreed on something other than loving the same woman.

"Why don't you convince her to kill the damn thing?" Jacob hissed, his nostrils flaring in rage.

"Because it can kill her if we tried!"

"It will kill her anyway!"

Jacob was seething, fuming, any other synonym for the word "angry" applied to him. He hated seeing his best friend die slowly, knowing there is nothing mortally possible to help her through this.

"I know." Caius whispered, lowering his head to stare at the ground.

"She wants to keep it." Jacob stated, breathing hard and pacing up and down the lengthy hallway.

"I'm not going to force her to do something she doesn't want to do." Caius defended, her fists clenching and unclenching.

"What the hell can we do?!" Jacob wailed, straining his voice.

"Nothing." Jane interrupted them, joining outside the room. "You'll hurt Isabella if you persuade her to kill the child."

"It. Is. _Not_. A. Child." Caius muttered angrily under his breath.

Jane ignored her Master. "You'll have to let these kind of things happen."

"What if she dies?" Caius broke down, his voice cracking in the process.

A long moment of silence flew by, even Jacob didn't bother to make a sound or say a word. He focused on breathing and controlling his temper. Although it was kind of hard, being in a castle full of vampires is basically a huge sign telling him to attack. But he forced the feeling down.

"She won't." Jane said firmly, standing next to her Master.

"And if she does?" Jacob challenged, his voice also breaking.

Jane shrugged. "Then we take care of her baby."

* * *

Bella's POV

I feel exhausted. Everything I do, even breathing, it hurts. But I don't mind that I'm the one hurting, just as long as my little one isn't the one hurting then I'll gladly take the pain for her.

I'm so convince my baby's going to be a girl. I don't know, call it a mother's intuition or something. I've always wanted a little girl, play with her hair, dress her up, bring her to the park and watch her grow up. But if it's a boy, I'll love him just as much. I don't care about the gender right now, I just want my baby to be healthy and safe.

I hear them out in the hallway, their discussion. They think I can't hear them, they think I'm asleep, but I'm not. I'm wide awake. Fooling them, especially in my condition, is easy. My breathing is always ragged and uneven, my heart beat is beating faster than usual, they can hardly tell if I'm up or not. I guess that is to my advantage, I can finally hear what they say when they think I can't hear.

Jane left the room only moments ago. I could hear them talking about...about my baby. They think that it should be killed because it will kill me. But they don't get it! They don't understand that I'll _die _for my child. Screw me! Who cares? My baby's the one who has more to live for than I do. Yes, I'm still young, but my baby hasn't even seen light yet. She doesn't know what it's like to live.

Jane comes to my aid, defending me. I hear her telling them that if I die, then they're responsible for my baby. I smile - smiling hurts - but I smile anyway, knowing that there'll be someone there for my baby if I can't.

Someone comes back in the room quietly and I hear them pace. Their breathing is harsh, loud.

"God, Bella." It groans. Jacob. "I can't believe this is happening to you."

Involuntarily, I frowned. Does he mean that in a bad way?

"He made a monster." He growled, almost inaudibly.

Suddenly, I hear the door swing open again.

"Shut up!" A feminine voice shrieks quietly. Jane.

"I'm thinking aloud." He muttered back at her, obviously forgetting to stay quiet. I twitch.

I could feel their eyes on me, and I decide it's time for me to wake up.

"Wh-wha..." I moaned. It actually surprised me how bad I sounded.

"Hey, Bella." Jane whispered, coming to join me. I wince once I feel the bed shift. "Sorry." She apologized, halfheartedly.

"It's fine." I murmured back. I then coughed.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked, the slightest trace of hope in her voice.

I smiled, but I guessed it looked more like a grimace as her eyebrows curved upwards in a pitiful expression.

"Mediocre." I replied.

"Go back to sleep." She suggested.

I shook my head - it hurt to do that, too. "No."

"You need to sleep - for the baby." She reasoned, her fingers tracing lightly on my stomach. It felt good to have something cold touch my clammy, too-warm stomach.

"The baby's the one keeping me awake." I groaned.

She smiled lightly at my huge stomach. Gently, she laid her hand over top of my stomach. I didn't feel the weight of her touch, but I did feel the coolness and I felt relaxed almost immediately.

"She's growing fast." Jane acknowledged, stroking my belly.

"You're convinced it's a girl, too?" I smiled at Jane's optimism.

Jane shrugged. "Usually a mother's instincts are right. But I'm not sure, no."

I grinned. "That's cool. I-"

I felt a sharp tinge in the center of my abdominal area and I let out a high-pitched shriek. Suddenly, the hot pain spread throughout my entire body and I immediately felt numb. My eyes widened, and I saw Jane's alarmed expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked me, her voice growing frantic.

I breathed in quickly and exhaled shakily. Immediately, I felt warm liquid near my thighs and I knew right away what was happening. I didn't even need to think about it.

"No, Jane." I shook my head, gasping for air and cringing as the pain spread everywhere.

"My water broke; the baby's coming!"

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"You really need to get over her." Marcus stated, he sounded bored and uninterested.

Jacob had joined the three kings in the throne room, followed by the Cullens as well. Jacob was not happy with their decision to keep Isabella's baby.

"You can't just let her die!" Jacob roared, ignoring Marcus's advice.

"She won't!" Rosalie snapped back.

Rosalie had grown fond of Isabella after she heard that she was pregnant. Rosalie had always wanted a child, a beautiful baby boy or girl, even. But she can't; vampires can't have children. Although eternal immortality is a great gift, what is the point of living forever if you can't have what you want, even with all the time in the world?

Defending Isabella was never a problem for Rosalie, she just never had a good reason to do so before. She had always thought that Isabella was a waste of time, like a toy. She was just waiting for her to break so that they can move on. But after Edward left her, and Isabella's determination to get him back and save him from killing himself, she had felt a strange feeling of respect towards the young, human girl.

Determination and courage in a little human who is willing to go in front of the kings and leaders of the vampire world not caring that she could die within a split second - now, _that _is remarkable.

"Alice, can't you see anything?!" Jacob pleaded.

"No." Alice shook her head. "Nothing. The baby is blocking me from seeing her future."

"Maybe that's because if she keeps the damn thing, she won't have a future!" Jacob reasoned, his tone growing harsh and frantic at the same time.

"No." Alice frowned at the pessimistic werewolf. "That's not the reason. I can see the futures of humans because I once _was _a human. I can see the futures of vampires very well because I _am _a vampire. I can't see anyone else's or anyone associated to anything else's...species because I never was anything else but a human and a vampire."

Jacob rolled his eyes, completely ignoring her little monologue. "And for the love of all that is pure!" He shouted. "It's not a _baby_, it's a fucking _monstrous demon_."

Within a second, Rosalie had him pinned on the ground. Aro started to smile masochistically while Caius had his head in his hands, thinking wildly about the upcoming events of Isabella's future. Marcus didn't react.

"Rosalie!" Esme shouted. "Get back over here now!"

Rosalie didn't listen. She had pinned Jacob to the ground, and Jacob had grew impatient. Within three seconds, he started to shake uncontrollably.

"Jasper, calm him down!" Alice shrieked, terrified that Rosalie could be shredded by the transformation.

Jasper concentrated, and managed to keep Jacob's shaking to a minimum. Aro gasped happily.

"How useful!" He whispered, but no one seemed to be paying attention. He marveled at the manipulation of emotions and how well he could control the angry boy.

Jacob, with all his strength, managed to push Rosalie off of him. She still seethed with anger, unnecessarily panting. Her blond hair was now a mess, but that was at the very bottom of her to-take-care-of list.

In a far off distance, a shriek could be heard - loud and clear. All the vampires and one werewolf flinched.

Jane came in, her face wild and scared.

"Someone help! Bella's in labor! The baby's coming!"

* * *

**Please review if possible! (: Thank you very much. **


	18. Chapter 18

_Hello, everybody!  
I know, I have changed my Pen Name to Moriartistically.  
I have developed a very unhealthy_ _obsession with BBC's Sherlock and Doctor Who...So...I'm Wholocked.  
Don't worry, Twilight's still up my sleeve :3 I just found a new interest.  
So, this story's coming to a rapid end. I'd say a couple more chapter (:  
Thank you so much, guys, thank **you**._  
**Please review!**

* * *

-Chapter 18-

Bella's POV

Jane came back as fast as she had left. In the meanwhile, I was breathing really fast. Sharp, cool breaths entered me and it was somewhat soothing but nothing could keep away the sheering pain I felt everywhere. It went right down to my fingertips and to my ears. Everything was tingly, and I so desperately wanted a full body sized ice pack.

I felt something kick me hard in my stomach, and I knew my baby girl was coming. I cried out in pain as I heard something crack. Everything felt numb now, and this could only mean one thing. My spine's been broken.

Carlisle came into the room, followed by Alice. I had heard him shout that no one must come in. Caius came in the room, though, and I smiled a little bit but his expression looked so wrong. It looked so broken and confused. But I understood why. He's dealing with so much right now, my pregnancy, Jacob, the Cullens and his Volturi responsibilities. I didn't care that he hasn't been around much, but at least he _has _been around.

I screamed, loud and blood curdling, even for me! Everyone in the room flinched but they kept on moving. Jane sat by my side, grasping for my hand and I felt the coolness of her hand and relaxed slightly. She noticed my relaxation and understood, she rubbed my entire arm and it felt really nice.

"Bella, push!" Alice shrieked, as she rubbed my thigh.

With one, big, painful cry, I pushed and I needed to gasp for air right away.

"Again, Bella! Don't stop!" Carlisle said.

Again, I took a deep breath and pushed. I pushed so hard that I nearly blacked out. My vision was filled with black and blurry spots everywhere. Tears trickled down my cheeks.

"Push!" Someone shouted, and the voices were all lost in my mind. I couldn't identify who was shouting out what.

"I can't-I can..." I gasped, feeling faint.

"No, Bella!" Alice frantically wailed. "One more big push and you'll have your baby! Come on, don't give up! Please!" She was really panicking.

"You can do it." Jane whispered, but it didn't sound like her. No, this sounded much too rough, a little less delicate and definitely deeper.

I turned my head to the right side, and nearly gasped. It was Caius; Jane wasn't in the room anymore. I smiled weakly up at him. His eyes were softly looking down into mine.

"Come on, Isabella..." He whispered, stroking my tear streaked face.

I took one deep breath, prepared myself then growled as I pushed forcefully. In the background, I heard the faint sounds of a baby crying. The sound was muffled, maybe because I was about to pass out. Carlisle came over, a small little baby in his arms. It was a baby boy. Still, I wasn't disappointed. The baby was beautiful.

I held open my arms, my fingers curling in and out as I tried to grab onto my child. He placed the baby in my arms, gently and carefully. I raised a hand and stroked my baby's face. The baby had finished crying and was now asleep, in my arms.

"He's so beautiful..." I murmured, admiring my baby. I stroked my baby's greyish red hair and he grinned at me, toothless.

"Let's wash him up." Carlisle suggested, and reluctantly took the baby away from me.

I frowned and felt myself get colder and numb. Breathing became too difficult to the point where I was hyperventilating.

"Caius..." I managed to choke out. I felt breathless.

He looked at me pleadingly, his lips parted ready to speak but nothing came out. I felt his hand reach up to my cheek and stroke it gently.

"I-I..." Everything was black within seconds and I couldn't hear anything. I could feel the wind blowing past me quickly - someone's movement.

I closed my eyes, and welcomed myself into the darkness.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

"She's dying!" Alice cried. She didn't need to feel Isabella's pulse to know what was happening. She could hear it, she could feel it, she could _see _it.

Carlisle couldn't do anything at this point. He had used the last of the morphine to numb Isabella's pain during the birth of her child. He was helpless now, her heart beat had long gone and it could only mean that she's dead.

"Do something!" Caius growled, his dead heart burning with fury and desperation.

Carlisle shook his head. "There's nothing more I can do."

Caius shook Carlisle by the shoulders and looked at him dead in the eye. His expression must have been a lethal one because Carlisle actually showed fear.

"There's one thing we can do." Caius spat through his teeth.

Carlisle shook his head again. "She has no more heartbeat. No more pumping blood. The venom won't be able to make it to her heart...she's gone, Caius. There's nothing we can do. Nothing."

Caius's grip loosened and he closed his eyes, averting his body towards his dead mate. "Leave." He seethed through his clenched teeth. No one bothered to move.

"_Leave!_"

They left in a hurry. All of them, leaving Caius alone in the room with his mate. Alice had taken the child away and had given her to Rosalie to hold.

Caius stood still for a very long moment, taken in the sight of his dead mate. She was lifeless, immobile and cold. He knew it was too late to try and save her. No pulse, no life. You need the pulse in order for the venom to reach into the heart. But what if the venom is injected straight into the heart? Put it straight into the heart, where it is meant to go.

Caius didn't want to acknowledge that Isabella's dead. For him, he had hope. Even if that hope was at the end of a very thin, weak string. But it was still hope. It's still there.

And he has to try it.

He crept over toward the body. He extended his hand towards her neck, feeling the fading warmth exit her body. He took a deep breath, a shaky one, and trailed his hand down towards her heart, where the was no tremble of a beat. There was no sound. Her scent was slowly fading away, quicker than expected. He didn't even pay attention to the blood all over the bed. He couldn't smell it, or at least, he was ignoring it really hard.

He pressed his lips into a tight line before parting them again.

He leant down towards her neck, and sunk his teeth, spewing venom into her veins. He bit several other places: arms, legs, wrists. All the places where the main arteries were, the most important vessels a human needs in order to survive.

He coiled back, raggedly panting and gasping for air. He was on the verge of tears, but he tried to pull himself together. He had to, his job wasn't done yet. He needed to do this, not for himself, but for the child.

Faintly, he heard the sound of a baby's cry from deep within the Volturi castle.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and bit right over her heart.

* * *

The Cullens as well as the remaining kings gathered into the throne room. The guards were in a mild frenzy, as they can smell the fresh blood of a human. They were controllable, though, thanks to the help of Jasper.

Rosalie had washed the baby carefully in lukewarm water. She already adored the little baby boy. There was no clothes in the castle that could fit a child and Alice suggested that she shop in the heart of Italy. Everyone agreed she go, considering no one else wanted to leave, so she went anyway. The death of Isabella had hit them hard, and it pained them to know that they can't erase what happened.

Rosalie, especially, had been affected greatly by Isabella's death. She didn't want this new infant to grow up without his mother. His loving, compassionate mother. And the biological father's dead, Rosalie knew that, but no one else knew that this baby boy is the result of a rapist. They had thought otherwise, despite the fact that she had been raped and that would be the only logical sense to why the baby has been produced. Certainly, the co-leader of the vampire world, Caius, would know that mating with a human is dangerous. They should have all knew that Caius wouldn't have done that. But all of their minds are cloudy, they couldn't think properly, so they think Caius is the father.

Jacob had been still the entire time. The death of his best friend had shut him down completely. He couldn't think of anyone but her. The new child, the little baby boy, is still a part of Isabella, but he refuses to touch him. He noticed the similarities in the boy, though. He noticed how the baby had Isabella's chocolate brown eyes, and the paleness of the skin. His lips were shaped like hers and so was his nose. The only resemblance that it had of his father was the color of his hair - a cross between bronze and grey. Jacob knew that Edward's the father of the baby. Jacob sat in the corner of the throne room, completely ignoring everyone and everyone ignoring him. He didn't care. He stopped caring.

"This place is like a dungeon." Jacob remarked, glancing up at the barred windows, the flickering of fire on the torches hung up on the wall and then darting his eyes towards the red-eyed vampires sitting on their thrones.

Everyone ignored him.

"Come here, baby boy." Rosalie cooed, picking up the pouting baby that lay on the blanket covered floor. The little baby boy was wrapped in a too big t-shirt.

The baby smiled as Rosalie picked him up. He was rather big for an infant, which raised suspicions.

"What are we going to call you? Hmm?" Rosalie murmured, stroking the baby's thin hair. The baby's eyes were shifting all around the room, taking in the scenery around him and storing faces into his tiny little memory.

"John." Alice suggested, her small voice sounded empty in the spacious room.

"Why John?" Rosalie inquired.

"John Doe. Bella hasn't told me what she wanted to name the baby yet. Since we're unsure, call him John. He's not a nobody, so 'Doe' is unnecessary. But I think John is generally a good name." Alice explained, her eyes suddenly turning glassy again as she sunk her mind into another vision for the fifth time in the last minute. Nobody bothered to ask her what will happen in the future, Alice had no time to answer.

Rosalie nodded slowly. "Come here, John."

The baby boy cooed happily at the name. Baby John was remarkably smart for only being an hour old. He could already tell you what he wants, he can roll on his stomach and he can coo endlessly.

"You like that?" Rosalie inquired.

Suddenly, there was an overwhelming scent of human blood. But that was nearly impossible, Heidi didn't bring any humans in and certainly Gianna would have notified the kings about another human being brought into the castle. Gianna was still alive, they could still smell her and she was humming happily in a separate room - she was safe. Aro and Marcus were silent, and they halted the guards from charging into the hallway. Everyone remained where they were.

No, this scent came from the wing where Isabella gave birth.

Alice gasped, all eyes on her. Alice looked weary as she was brought back into reality.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Jasper whispered closely into her ear.

"It's Bella!" She exclaimed, her eyes wild and unfocused.

"What about her?" Rosalie inquired, genuinely concerned. Jacob clued in and frowned.

"Caius did it!" Alice breathed.

"He did it."

* * *

**Please review, if it's convenient (: Thanks so much.**


	19. Chapter 19

_Hello, everybody.  
This is the shortest chapter I have ever written for this story. But it is meant to be a 'filler' chapter.  
Next chapter we'll be heading on to the good stuff.  
Sorry for the late update, I got the stomach flu so I really couldn't do anything.  
_**Please review (:**

* * *

-Chapter 19-

3rd Person Omniscient

Everyone stood completely still, even Jacob. After Alice telling them that Caius had finally done _it_, they were beyond belief. Everyone was in complete and utter shock. They all knew that they are going to be dealing with a rogue newborn vampire. She never had time to mentally prepare herself for all of this to come.

But that is, only if the venom had worked. What if it hadn't? What if it was too late? What will they do then? What will _Caius _do then?

Caius wistfully came back into the throne room, smeared blood all over him cloak, his hands and his face. His eyes were a brilliant red and everything else just seemed to be glowing. His pale skin looked more like ash. His blond hair was considerably whiter, too.

"Master Caius..." Jane whispered. "Is it true?"

Caius stared Jane down. He picked up his index finger, wiped the still fresh blood from his face and examined it lingering on his finger. His blood lust was in complete control, it was the guards who were having a hard time.

He then sucked his finger, licking his lips which earned a low growl from the guard.

"Indeed." He muttered, walking up to his throne and sitting down.

All the vampires, and the werewolf, felt an odd vibe radiating off Caius. He seemed to be...calm and at ease. Even watching Caius lick the blood off himself, it made almost have the room cringe in fright. Something was off.

"Master Caius...are you alright?" Jane queried.

Caius looked down at the marble floor, as if he hadn't heard what Jane had just asked.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances at each other, either with confusion, worry or fear. Jane left the room, a growing concern building within her. Did Caius really go through with it? Did he _really _bite Isabella? And would it even work?

Jane was in front of Isabella's room, the smell of her spilled blood overwhelming.

* * *

Alice was the only one of all of them who knew what was coming. The decisions that had been made gave her a shocking glimpse of the future. Jasper sensed her discomfort, but he was too busy controlling the guards that he couldn't ask her what she saw. Nobody else could feel her discomfort, really, no one even _knew _she had a vision.

Alice's eyes darted to the little baby boy who was unnaturally quiet, playing on the ground. Little baby John looked up at Alice and gave her a questionable look.

Alice saw the future. Alice knows what's going to happen. But should she tell them all now? Or just wait to see _if _it really _will _happen?

"Alice, are you alright?" Esme questioned, sincerely concerned.

Alice flinched and looked up at her adoptive mother.

"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She quickly excused herself.

Esme frowned. "Are you sure? You seem a little bit jumpy."

"No, no, I'm fine." Alice denied, shaking her head.

"Alice, darlin', we both no you're not really fine." Jasper murmured, shaking his head slightly.

Alice looked up at Caius, who amusingly looked back at her. Aro and Marcus exchanged glances, both of them oblivious and confused about what's going on. Otherwise, everyone else was in a complete enigma.

"You'll all have to just wait and see. Just wait and see." Alice replied, once again, her mind overpowering her and engulfing her into another blurry, unrealistic vision.

Jane entered Isabella's room, holding her breath as she tried hard not to focus too much on the blood. But that was really hard to do, considering that's all she could see. She could only see red. Just the red that covered the lifeless body, just the red that stained the sheets, just the red that spewed out of the open wounds of the body. So, Caius wasn't lying. He really _did _bite her.

But the question is, will it work?

Jane knew it was a long shot. Without the pumping of the blood, how else would the venom spread to all the necessary places?

Jane walked quietly towards Isabella, standing still next to the body once she got there. She then stroked Isabella's hair, chewing at the bottom of her lip. If Jane could cry real tears, she would have.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do next." Jane whispered to her best friend. "It's obvious that Master Caius has completely lost it...and he'll only get worse once he realizes that you really can't be saved." Jane took a moment, her breathing hitched as a lump grew at the back of her throat.

"And what about your baby, Bella?" Jane whimpered, envisioning little baby John crawling in the throne room. "What's going to happen to him? He doesn't know who his _real _father is. The Cullens _don't even know _who the real father is. Should I...should I tell them? It's better that they know now then to find out later, am I correct?"

Jane looked away, closing her eyes tightly and pressing her lips firmly together. "And your werewolf best friend. What's going to happen to him? He can't stay here for eternity, Bella, you know that."

Jane's hand brushed over her best friend's fresh bite marks. Caius bit every single limp - every part of his mate's body, probably making sure there was enough venom to go around. The half crescent marks all over her body will forever be scars, if she ever _changes_.

"I promise you, Bella." Jane began. "_If _you can't make it, I'll make sure everyone has closure. I'll tell them who John's father really is, I'll tell Jacob that it's time for him to go, I'll make sure Caius is alright and I promise, _I promise_, to take care of your son for you."

Jane took a step back and made her way to the door. She looked over her shoulder and whispered, "This is my promise."

And before she left, Jane swore she thought Isabella's fingers move.

* * *

**Review if convenient! Thank you! (: **


	20. Chapter 20

_Hi, everyone!  
This chapter is way better, and I hope you all enjoy it. It was actually really fun to write.  
And it's so much more longer too!  
Anyway, thank you guys so much for sticking around. Seriously all of you (and I do know your usernames/guest names because I take the time to read your reviews and read who followed/favorited) you guys are seriously **amazing** and I don't know how to express how thankful I am for all of you.  
This isn't the last chapter. (But we're almost there...)  
_**Please review, thank you so much! **

* * *

-Chapter 20-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Jane so quietly walked into the room that no one heard her coming, despite the extra hearing in the room. But once she was in everyone's sight, everyone's attention snapped right onto her; like a cobra to a mouse. Or a spider to a mouse.

Jane was looking down, but she could sense the pairs of eyes staring back at her. So what other time is better than now to tell them what's really _going _on?

"There are some things...that-that Isabella would want me to clarify for her." Jane struggled to choke out.

Being a vampire doesn't mean that all your emotions are immediately under control. Unless you were under Jasper's influence, even then, nothing is absolute. Being a vampire means that you're just physically stronger, faster and _dangerous_. Being a vampire doesn't make you _human_, it makes you _immortal_. Obviously, you can't die unless another form of the supernatural comes out to kill you themselves.

But for Jane, when her special ability is to manipulate the illusion of pain, _nothing _was more painful to say than Isabella's name. Isabella had grown on Jane, Jane adored Isabella. She was so kind, thoughtful and sweet. She had a great personality, one that should have been cherished for much longer than eighteen years. Isabella was a good story in Jane's life - in _everyone's _life.

But all stories must come to an end.

Jane took a deep breath, closing her eyes for only a moment as she tried to find the right words to use when trying to break news to others.

"This...this _hybrid _child," She began, trying her best not to use any offensive words. "is Isabella's child-"

"We _know _that." Jacob aesthetically retorted, sarcastically rolling his eyes in the process.

"Be. _Quiet!_" Jane hushed him, only releasing an ounce of pain upon him, just enough to make him cringe. "But his father's-"

"It's Caius...?" Esme stated, but it came out more like a question.

At this point, everyone was unsure. As they all looked at Jane, they already knew who the real father was. But no one wanted to come to that conclusion on their own. They'd rather have Jane spell it out for them. After all, she _was _clarifying for Isabella.

"No." Jane's voice nearly broke. "It's _Edward_."

And as if on cue, the tension in the air had shifted from nervousness to realization. Baby John, who was cooing in Rosalie's arms felt the tension change and immediately started to cry. Usually, the Volturi would not tolerate crying. The only times crying ever happen in the castle was when a human was to meet their death. But since this half-human half-vampire child belonged to a king's mate, they would have to tolerate it. No matter how annoying, or how _weak _it sounded.

Rosalie shushed the little baby boy, and he was soon enough, drifting off to sleep in her arms.

Of course, Rosalie, Carlisle, Alice, Caius and Jane knew who the real father was all along. But Rosalie, Carlisle and Alice had no right to tell anyone else. But Caius and Jane did. Jane was Isabella's closest companion throughout all of this. Isabella only confided in her. It was a wonder, though, why Isabella never confided to Caius. Maybe because he just always _knew _what was going on in her mind, unlike Edward.

"Jacob?" Jane called out, her red eyes piercing into the dark brown ones that were glowering at her in the corner of the room. "It's time for you to go."

"N-"

"Don't even fight with me, please." Jane begged, she actually begged the enemy species _not _to fight her. "Your time here is done."

"What if Bella wakes up?" Jacob inquired, his voice seething with anger.

With all the answers to his question, he won't be able to stay any way. He won't win. He _can't_ win.

"Either way you can't win." Jane shrugged. "If she wakes up, she'll be a vampire. And she'll tear you to shreds. It's a newborn's instinct - and she was ill-prepared. And if she doesn't wake up, Master Caius's venom would break her body down in a matter of hours. She can't wake up a human ever again...I'm sorry."

* * *

Bella's POV

Remembering what it was like before I was awake was practically impossible. Not that I was really trying or anything, but everything just felt really fuzzy and I was trying to remember why.

My eyes were closed, but I wasn't asleep. I'm not asleep. Everything around me is buzzing wildly, and I didn't know why. Was a heater on? Or was it just my imagination? My fingertips are slightly tingly, I don't know why that is either.

But I feel really refreshed. Hell, I don't even feel like myself. I feel like a completely different person. Am I different person? _Obviously not..._

Then I remembered. I gave birth. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whose face was only vague in my mind. Why couldn't I remember him properly? It's not like it had been days since I last saw him...right?

With blinding speed, I sat upright and I was expecting a head rush or my body to twitch at the sudden movement. But nothing reacted. My eyes shot open and I gasped.

Everything was so _clear_, so amazingly vivid! All the colors - enhanced. I could read everything. And I mean everything! All the books that were aligned on the shelves that were at least twenty feet away from me, I can read! Everything was amazingly clear, it was like I haven't really _saw _anything before. I wasn't really seeing anything clearly.

In all my excitement, I rushed to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I was right.

I was _damn _right.

I'm a vampire. I changed. Bless whoever changed me!

I also realized something else. I'm naked. I need clothes.

I went back into the bedroom, buzzing with excitement. When I finally get some decent clothes on, I'll be able to see my baby!

I rummaged through the closet. I knew for sure that someone was in this room before. Everything was so clean, even the bedsheets that I'm sure I've soiled during birth giving. And someone has definitely re-stocked the closet with clothes. And all the clothes were much to fancy for my taste. This either had to be Jane or Alice. I'd go with Alice. Alice always loved purples and greys. This closet was chuck full with both!

Sighing quietly, I realized I won't find any of my clothes in here.

I went to the back of the closet, where I spotted a light red, pale yellow and black floral top with little flowers printed all over and threw it over top of my nude colored bra. Thankfully, there were jeans. None of them were blue, much to my dismay, but I grabbed the burgundy pair and pulled them on. I spun around to come face to face with a knit patterned cardigan and grabbed it.

And finally, I slipped on black flats and went back into the bedroom to look at myself in the mirror.

I really did not look like human Isabella Marie Swan. I had redder hair. Why would my change affect my hair color anyway? And my skin was much, much more paler. It matched the others. And the eyes, a piercing red that it frightened me. I looked away, forcing back the part I dread from all of this.

I looked in the mirror a little longer, wondering, just wondering, what else my future has in store for me.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient

Days later, everything seemed to have lightened up. The guards weren't so frenzied after the blood was cleaned up, thanks to Alice and Gianna. Alice taken off Isabella's clothes and Gianna had washed Isabella's soiled clothing, sheets, hair and skin. They decided to leave her like that, wrapped in a light linen sheet.

Her heart beat hasn't shown up while they were there, and all of them were concerned that maybe she really was dead. But Alice begged to differ, and told them to be patient. Three day's the limit.

During those three days, baby John had grown remarkably and astonishingly fast. It was a shock, and quite a fright to Gianna when all of them realized that baby John wasn't much of an infant anymore. He had the appearance of a seven month old child. He already tries to sit up on his own, roll over and babble.

Rosalie had her fun with baby John, as well as the rest of them. Alice showered the little baby boy with all kinds of toys, clothing and gifts. Esme had to control her, afraid that baby John was going to be too spoiled.

Carlisle had documented and observed John's growth and development throughout those three days. The fact that he was half-human and half-vampire, is able to generate warmth and a heartbeat, is able to drink and eat both food and blood and that he can sleep, is the most unique thing he has ever seen! Not only that, but baby John was highly intelligent and understood everything going on around him. If someone started to feel nervous, so would he. If someone started to feel angry, so would he. If someone shouted, he would squeal.

Slowly and gradually, Caius had grown fond of the child. He doesn't spend much time with him, mostly because Aro and Marcus had him do other things, but when he did, he didn't waste a moment.

_-Flashback-_

_Baby John was laying on the ground, staring up at the stained glass ceiling and watched as the sun reflected through them. He mesmerized as he noticed a crow flying past the window._

_Rosalie sat on the floor next to him, watching as the little boy stared up at the sky in wonder. They were outside, in the garden, on a picnic blanket on a grass. Flowers surrounded them, bluebells, violets and a few multicolored orchids._

_Rosalie noticed Caius walking into the garden, pressing his lips firmly together as he watched Rosalie and John there. He had come for some quiet, and as he was mangled in his own thoughts and also fighting the urge to visit Isabella, didn't notice them laying on the ground._

_"Caius!" Rosalie shouted. She didn't need to formerly call out to him, she usually didn't. John ignored the sudden call, and continued to watch as the birds kept flying by in groups. He occasionally giggled._

_Caius darted his eyes towards Rosalie, wincing slightly as he realized he wouldn't be able to get some time for himself._

_"What?" Caius sneered, slightly annoyed at the blond._

_Rosalie didn't take his tone too politely, and immediately frowned._

_"Have some common decency and talk to me nicely!" Rosalie demanded, intently frowning._

_Caius sighed irritably, clenching his teeth together. "Fine. How may I be of_ your _service?" He muttered._

_Rosalie gave him a bitter smile before looking back down at the innocent little boy._

_"You really should be spending some time with him." Rosalie suggested, petting John's messy hair._

_Caius barely rolled his eyes before Rosalie caught him._

_"No! You should!" Rosalie strained, intensifying her frown._

_"I don't see the purpose." Caius retorted, impatiently awaiting for this excruciating conversation to finish._

_"He's your son!" Rosalie wailed, her eyes widening._

_"But he's not mine!" Caius sneered, his red eyes glowering with fury. "He never was!"_

_"But he's Bella's. And since he's Bella's, he's your family too. Bella would want you to." Rosalie reasoned._

_"You don't know what Bella wants." Caius snapped, his voice menacing and more frightening that John sat upright all on his own, his bottom lip quivering. Rosalie soothed him, making John sit on her lap as he fiddled with a toy._

_"She wouldn't want you to ignore her son." Rosalie snapped back, a fiery edge taking control of her voice. "You want to marry Bella, we know that. When you do, John here, will be your son. Your son. And you can't ignore him then. He's going to grow up, Caius, and he won't have a father figure. He doesn't need to grow up without one and it's better to have you than it is to have Edward - if he were still alive - knowing that Edward..." Rosalie gulped. "Raped Bella just to conceive this child. Edward's possessive, controlling and manipulative. And he's dead. John needs you."_

_And as if on cue, John looked up at Caius, his little brown eyes growing lighter as the sun reflected off his irises. Caius stared into the eyes of the little boy, giving this conversation a thought-out run through._

_He took a deep breath._

_"Okay." Caius agreed._

_"Okay?" Rosalie repeated._

_"Okay. Yes. I'll attempt to be there for him. I'll-I'll do this." He stammered, slightly out of character._

_Rosalie grinned, patting John's back as John smiled. He understood._

_John lifted his arms up at Caius, and Caius was slightly taken aback, new at this whole 'father' thing._

_"Just pick him up." Rosalie instructed._

_And reluctantly but hesitantly, Caius picked up the little boy and held him in his arms._

* * *

"Alice? Alice! Alice?!" Heidi, Sulpicia, Jane and Rosalie were trying to snap out of the crazy vision Alice was having. The wives decided to linger around the throne room, bored -oh so dearly- with doing nothing.

Alice had a huge smile on her face, her eyes were glassy and she was attempting not to laugh with joy. The wives as well as Rosalie and Jane tried so hard for the past five minutes to snap Alice out of her vision. They, too, were bored and were eager to find out why Alice had been smiling like an insane person.

Finally, Alice was snapped out of her vision, squealing the second she realized that what she was seeing was reality.

"Alice, what did you see?!" Sulpicia inquired, impatiently shaking Alice's shoulder.

Alice was practically hopping in place, a mischievous, excited grin was placed on her face.

"Bella! It's Bella!" Alice gasped, and this caught the attention of everyone.

"What about her?" Aro inquired from his throne, currently bored out of his mind.

Alice smiled at the king. "She'll be waking up soon. It worked, the venom worked!"

A chorus of sighs and relief sounds were heard all around the castle. Everyone started to speak about this immediately, all questioning about how to control her thirst as well as get her prepared for her new life.

"Give her some time to herself, though, she's undressed and she'll realize that. She knows where the clothes is, though. And that's all I can see." Alice informed them.

A few minutes of muttering and questions went by when Aro decided to call for a meeting. Jane got those from the Elite guards, and all the more important, significant individuals who don't do the guarding, into the throne room to wait for the meeting to begin. Once everyone was there, was when Aro decided he wanted to formerly and officially start the meeting instead of Jane. Since this was no ordinary meeting, he thought it was necessary especially because it was the Cullen clan that would be speaking instead of the Volturi.

"Silence!" Aro declared, the room dropping to an eerie, unsettling silence in a nanosecond. "There are a few things I need to elaborate before we are due to visit Isabella. Alice, will be the one to discuss the main points and otherwise. I expect complete and utter silence. Do not speak unless you are spoken to and if you have questions, wait until the end. Alice?"

Alice stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her and she had a wide smile on her face.

"I know you that all of you already understand how a newborn acts once they've awakened, but either way, we still need to take extra precautions because there are humans in the castle and we need to protect them. We can't let Bella near her baby until her blood lust is under control. Also, please don't bother us while we try to teach her because she really needs to focus because she'll be really confused once she wakes up. She was ill-prepared." Alice concluded.

"That being said, we'll need to block all entrances and exits in the entire castle so that she doesn't escape." Alice continued on, after an awkward moment of silence. "Otherwise, I think we're good."

"Thank you, Alice. Return to your posts, and guard all openings. We do _not _need a rogue vampire loose in the city." Aro commanded, and within seconds, the room was cleared and all that were left was Jane, Demitri, Felix, Alec, the wives, the Cullens, John and the kings.

"I'll stay with John." Rosalie volunteered, cuddling the baby boy in her arms.

"I will stay with them both, as well." Esme smiled, sweetly.

"Good." Alice said. "Jazzy? We'll need you the most. Since you're the only one able to manipulate how we feel, you'll be able to control Bella's blood lust and mixed emotions quite easily."

"Sure thing, darlin'." Jasper's southern drawl made Alice smile in return.

"What about her diet?" Emmett questioned. "Will she drink human blood or animal?"

"She's part of the Volturi. She'll take after our ways." Jane interjected, coming next to Rosalie to play with the little baby.

The Cullens and Jacob exchanged uncomfortable glances, but they knew they couldn't defy the Volturi. After all, they are right, Isabella's part of the Volturi coven now. Not the Cullen coven.

"What am I supposed to do?" Jacob asked, quite confused.

"You'll have to go now." Jane told him.

He frowned. "What, I don't even get to say goodbye to her?"

Jane sighed. Of course saying goodbye to your best friend is one of the hardest things to do and no doubt that Jacob deserves to say goodbye, too, but Isabella will act on instinct when she scents him and it is best that he is not in the castle during her awakening.

"You really can't." Alice tried to persuade him convincingly. "She's going to be a little bit vicious when she wakes up. And I don't think smelling a werewolf will help her either."

"You're also making the guard uneasy." Alec interjected, in a sullen voice.

Jacob narrowed his eyes.

"Your stay was only temporary." Aro reminded him, in an authoritative tone.

"I'll have you escorted out." Jane suggested, rhetorically.

"Perhaps in the future, when Isabella is under control, would you be able to visit." Caius interjected.

Jacob nodded. It was the only thing he can do. What was he supposed to do? Deny all of them? Stay? He knew he couldn't stay. It wouldn't only put himself in danger, but little John, too.

After contemplating for a while, a thought crossed him.

"What am I supposed to tell Charlie?" He inquired, a sad look in his eyes.

Charlie must be so worried and terrified that something horrific had happened to his daughter. She's been missing for a couple of months now, surely Forks was plastered with missing person posters and a state-wide notification had been sent. Charlie being a cop, would have probably taken more drastic measures.

"Tell him...just make something up." Jane said, who, like the others, had forgotten that Isabella actually had another family other than them.

"Like what? 'I'm sorry to tell you this, Charlie, but your daughter's been turned into a vampire, she has a kid and you probably won't ever see her ever again because she's going to suck your blood otherwise and kill you.'?" Jacob mocked, in a slightly angered tone.

Jane rolled her eyes and breathed out harshly. "_No_, just think of something clever."

"Tell him that she has some sort of rare disease and that Carlisle is in Italy with her, where the only antidote is available at." Caius suggested.

"That's perfect! Charlie already knew that Bella was vacationing here in the first place, after that...incident with Edward...had happened here. We told him that Bella had gotten a free ticket from a raffle and he thought it would have been a great opportunity for her to come here." Alice explained, a small smile perking on her lips.

Jane looked back at Jacob, and used her fingers to signal a couple unnamed guards to escort Jacob out.

"It's settled. That's what you'll say." Jane said, a smug smile on her pretty face. It only made her look more unapproachable.

Jacob eyed everyone, each Cullen, each king and one longing look at John.

"Okay, then...I guess I'll see you guys later." He cringed a little and was escorted out the throne room.

"Bye bye!" John waved. Rosalie smiled proudly at the intelligent little boy.

It was silent for a moment before Alice suddenly gasped loudly.

"It's happening." Alice announced, her eyes wide.

"What is?" Emmett inquired, kind of stupidly.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"_It_, Emmett. Bella's finally waking up."

* * *

**Please review, if it's possible (: Thank you so much, all of you!  
**


	21. Chapter 21

_Hey guys! I got excited and decided to update early._  
_I just need to clear some things up about last chapter._

_First thing, Bella's POV was set in the future, when she wakes up. Afterwards, it changed back to 3rd Person Omniscient POV which was set back in the past (before Bella wakes up)._

_Second thing, when Rosalie was trying to persuade Caius into spending time with John, I said that John was looking up at a stain glassed ceiling. They were underneath a gazebo in the garden._

_So, thank you to all my readers! I am ecstatic to read your reviews, I really am. It means the world to me of what you think. So please, don't be afraid. Like I had mentioned in the Summary, these characters are a bit OOC. And you'll see a bit of OOC in here._

*This chapter includes some family/friendship fun.

**Please review, thank you!  
**

* * *

-Chapter 21-

Bella's POV

I heard footsteps coming. They were light and I know I shouldn't have been able to hear them. But then I realized, I'm a vampire. I can't really help it.

Whoever it was, they were right outside my door now and they were being hesitant. But that's not the only thing I've noticed. Their scent was the thing that made me feel like I walked into a different atmosphere. It was overwhelming, but it was controllable. The scent was mangled and it was unidentifiable; something I have never smelt before in my human life.

Just then, the door swung open. I guess whoever it was (or whoever _they _were), were expecting to see me laying on the bed naked, like the way they left me, because there was some intense murmuring in the room. I could only make out like a few words, because they were the only ones spoken in the heap of Italian dialect that filled my ears. I heard my name, 'She's gone' and 'This is trouble'.

I decided to peer around the corner, so whoever was in the other room could only see my head and the heap of hair that fell beside my face.

"Hello." I murmured, hoping it was loud enough for them to hear. _Well, no duh Bella, of course they can hear it._

I observed the figures distinctly.

There were three people in the room I was looking into. Two of them wore dark purple cloaks made of velvet with gold trimmings. It was gathered on their chest with a crest. The shorter one, I presumed was a female, wore a silver crest and the taller one, with more of a male build, wore a golden crest. Then there was the other short one, about the same height as the other female except she wasn't covered in a cloak.

She had short hair, it was matted down and barely touched her shoulders. It was a dark brown. She was slim and short. She wore a white blouse with a fashionable vest over top. She wore grey skinny jeans with black flats. This must have been the girl that stocked my closet...

ALICE!

"_Alice!_" I blurted, and slapped my hand over my mouth. The three figures whirled around, two had red eyes and Alice had gold. They were looking at me with a shocked expression. It was then when I recognized the two cloaked figures.

Jane and Caius.

Instantly I felt a pull towards Caius. Mind you that, I didn't forget the bond we shared when I was in human form. This pull was stronger though, and I felt it right in the center of my chest, like a magnet telling me to push myself further out. But I stayed where I was, sort of terrified by all of them.

Do they accept me like this? Do I look okay? What if they don't approve?

"Oh my god, Bella, is that you?" Alice inquired, her lips slightly parted and her big golden eyes were wide.  
I smiled weakly and nodded from the threshold of the room.

"Yes, it's me. I woke up five minutes ago...naked." I confessed, and I was sure that if I still had blood circulating, I would have been a deep red by now.

She took a step forward and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that." She said, and then opened her arms for me to hug her. And I didn't hesitate. I lunged, tackling her to the ground.

"Woah, calm down guys. I still didn't get to say my greetings yet!" Jane frowned, slightly pouting.

I looked up at her, my lips curling up into a smile as I tackled her to the ground. Alice giggled once she composed herself.

Once I let Jane stand up, I let them talk.

"You look stunning, Bella." Alice breathed. "And obviously your sense of fashion has totally changed."

I rolled my eyes. "I kind of had no choice. The closet didn't have any of my clothes."

"Consider that a favor." She smirked.

I looked at her incredulously before shaking my head and moving on. Clothes didn't really matter to me anyway.

"Yes, I second that. You're absolutely gorgeous! Not that you weren't before. Even for a human, you were way too pretty to be considered one." Jane interjected.

Alice chuckled and added, "Yeah, basically all the guys at Forks High were after her. There was this one guy, Mike Newton-"

"Ew, don't even bring him up! Please, I was hoping to forget him!" I laughed, covering my face with my hands.

"Anyway, I'm going to check up on everyone else and see how they're holding up." Alice announced, giving Jane a meaningful look.

"I'll come!" Jane said, trailing off behind Alice and out the door. "We'll see you later."

Then I was left alone in the room, with Caius.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Alice skipped down the hallway, the entire time her and Jane were fighting the huge urge to squeal. Miraculously, they didn't but they couldn't help but let out a few giggles hear and there; which echoed through the entire hall.

"Wait, where are is Rosalie and John anyway?" Alice queried, stopping in her tracks.

"In the dungeon." Jane replied, nonchalantly, which made Alice gasp in horror.

"No, no! Not _that _kind of dungeon! Dungeon is actually a french word, pronounced as dahn-jown, except you do not pronounce the 'n's. It originally meant to be a word used to describe the heart of the castle where, in medieval times, the kings would hide and be held if the castle was being attacked. In this case, we use it to protect the wives when everyone else is going to war or for battles." She explained.

"Oh. It needs a new name." Alice noted, pursing her lips together.

Jane smiled at her comically. "I know."

They made their way to the dungeon, where Rosalie and John were being kept. Rosalie was sitting on the floor with the baby and John was throwing a scarf across his blanket.

"How's Bella?" Rosalie inquired.

"She's beautiful." Alice beamed, joining the two of them on the floor.

"Probably not, but is she, you know, under control?" Rosalie asked, a slight look of worry in her eyes as she looked down protectively at John.

"She seemed fine, actually. She didn't look like anything bothered her. Caius is with her, so she should be fine." Alice reassured her, fixing John's twisted shirt.

"So, what's happening?" Rosalie questioned.

Alice and Jane knew what she meant by that question, without having to ask her to specify.

"Everyone's on guard, protecting every wing and room in the castle. This room is probably the most protected." Jane informed her, fixing the silver pendant on her cloak.

"Jasper should be on his way to Bella and Caius's room any second now. We're so lucky to have him." Alice sighed a sigh of relief.

It's true. If Jasper couldn't manipulate emotions, the Volturi would have to pull all the extra guards from their wings and have them keep an eye on Isabella. Having a rogue vampire loose in the castle - the home of the most powerful vampires to ever exist - would be the worst outcome of their whole creation. Destroy the home of the vampires, you are destroying them with it.

Plus, Jasper having the ability to _make _them feel under control, calm and focused is amazing. It's a miracle that the Volturi and Cullen clan are allies and not in some sort of war. Or else they wouldn't be able to have Jasper.

Jasper is completely fine being 'used'. It's not like they won't need him in the future either. He's was part of the Great War and his knowledge, fighting skills and special power just makes him the ultimate fighter. You'd be a fool if you chose not to ask Jasper to help control a newborn. You'd also be a fool if you asked to wrestle him.

Emmett learned that the hard way.

"Where's Carlisle?" Rosalie asked.

Alice shrugged. "Probably accompanying the kings or something."

"And Esme?"

"She's, for sure, with the wives."

"Emmett?"

"Right here!" Emmett sung, walking into the room.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Are you going to stay here and help me watch the baby?"

Emmett pursed his lips, cocking his head to the side teasingly.

"Well, yeah. If you guys are going to keep me away from _my _baby sister, I guess I have nothing better to do." He rolled his eyes, mimicking Rosalie.

Jane frowned for a moment.

"Do you know who you would be great companions with?" She inquired, giving him a devious smile.

"Who?" Emmett questioned, baffled.

"Felix." Jane suggested.

Rosalie and Alice laughed in unison, both with the same idea in their minds.

"I bet you can't beat him in a fight!" Alice giggled, and Jane found the humor and started to laugh along with them.

Emmett looked completely offended. "I can so! I can probably whoop his-"

"Language!" Rosalie warned. "We have a child here!"

"I can probably _beat_ him." Emmett said, confidently.

The girls rolled their eyes, clearly not persuaded by Emmett's triumphant air. Jane raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip.

"You're overconfident. Challenging a member of the guard is pretty risky, and I'm certain the kings would _die _for some good entertainment." Jane smirked, teasing the poor Emmett Cullen.

Emmett looked determined now and started to scowl at Jane, which only made her laugh even harder. Even John started to join in the fun and started to giggle! Emmett cracked his knuckles and shook them out.

"I am offended." Emmett stated, his tone flat and sincere. Emmett never backed down from a challenge, especially one where people were sure he was going to lose. It didn't matter, he was determined to prove them all wrong. And since it was against a Volturi guard (one of a high status - Elite Guard) he actually _wanted _to go up against him. Despite the risks.

"You're not seriously telling me that you're thinking about challenging Felix, are you, Emmy?" Rosalie questioned, worried about her husband.

"Don't worry, Rose, I got this." He smiled, a glint of intensity visible in his features.

Jane shrugged, a small laugh escaping her. "Well, as long as if you 'got this'. I'll go alert Felix that you wish to battle him. But we will have to wait until Isabella is out hunting with Caius, only _then _is it safe to battle."

Emmett's posture slumped. "Are you kidding me?"

Jane raised an eyebrow, her posture stiffening and she put an mask of disbelief on her face.

"Is that a _forfeit _I hear?" She inquired, a smug smile plastered on her lips.

Emmett's eyes widened. "No!"

Jane's quickly smiled. "Well then, wait here. I'll be back."

Jane left the room, leaving Rosalie, Alice, John and Emmett there.

Emmett scratched to back of his head nonchalantly, shaking his head at the same time. He gave Alice a glare.

"You turned her into an Alice!" He pointed at Alice.

Alice mockingly dropped her jaw and put a loose hand to her chest.

"I am wounded that you would accuse me of such a thing. I must inform you that I found her just. Like. That." Alice grinned.

"And I thought the Volturi were serious vampires." Emmett mumbled to himself, much to his dismay, he didn't realize who came into the room at that exact moment.

The voice startled everyone in the room, but mostly Emmett.

"We _are _serious. We only let Jane act like this because she can torture us." Felix muttered, his red eyes piercing into that of Emmett's.

Jane peeked from behind Felix, who stood perfectly still. She shot Emmett a scary, terrifying grin, one that said, 'You should be afraid.'

"By the way," Felix informed them all, before exiting. He then averted his eyes to Emmett.

"You should have forfeit." He winked, then left.

* * *

Bella's POV

"I've missed you, _cara mia_." Caius confessed, in a low voice.

I couldn't help but smile. "Did you really?" I asked.

"Of course, it's been too long since I last saw you...since I last touched you..." He whispered, coming towards me and taking me into his arms. I curled my tiny arms around his waist and the magnetic pull in my chest ceased as I touched him. It felt nice, to be in his embrace and breathe in his scent. It was intoxicating to me. Everything about him was.

"You didn't find a new toy in my absence?" I queried, pouting up at him. He frowned at me, with an incredulous expression in his eyes. Clearly he was taken aback.

"Of course not!" He blurted, looking quite frightened. I decided to tease him, have my little fun while it lasts.

I pulled away from him, and he looked hurt and surprised. He frowned as I crossed my arms and looked at him disapprovingly.

"I think you're lying." I replied, nonchalantly. I tried my best to look as pissed off as I could at that moment. But it was seriously hard to do, especially because I wanted to burst out laughing really hard at his expression. Hey, I guess it really _is _easy to fool a king!

"Isabella, I-I...I would never..." He trailed off, completely baffled and fearful as I continued my facade. But I couldn't take it anymore I cracked in a smile as I lunged towards him and kissed him feverishly. He was taken aback, and shuffled backwards before I caught his balance and continued to kiss him.

Soon enough, I pulled away, to look at his face.

"Isabella-"

"You are way too gullible." I cooed at him, planting a soft kiss on his lips. His arms coiled around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"You really are beautiful." He commented, ignoring my insult.

A long silence filled the room.

"I feel like I was blind my entire life." I stated, my voice in complete awe.

He chuckled. "How is your thirst?"

And I froze, my whole body going rigid as the sudden achy, dry fire startled to crackle it's way up to my throat. It felt like it was going to crack for dehydration, shrivel up and crumble to ash. Immediately, I knew that I might go into a frenzy so I took a step back and swallowed harshly. It didn't help.

"Horrifyingly painful." I admitted, my right hand touching the hallow at the base of my throat.

He nodded. "Okay, we'll get Heidi to help with that."

I licked my lips. "I'm going...I'm going have to take part in your ways, right?"

It took a moment for him to realize what I meant by that, but even then, he narrowed his eyes at me in uncertainty.

"You don't want to?" He asked, slightly concerned.

I shook my head. "Either way, I'm still going to be killing."

"You don't know how true that statement is." He remarked, leading me out of the room.

I followed him, my hand in his. As I took a step out of the bedroom, I was hit with deranged, distinct scents from every direction. It was then when I realized the honey-like scent to be right outside the room, and I was right.

Standing right outside of our bedroom, was Jasper Cullen.

"Jasper!" I gasped, taking his appearance in for the first time.

His battle scars were even more interesting with my new eyes. They were actually all over his body; half-crescent, silver-like bite marks were all over his neck, the visible parts of his arms and even his face. His scars told me enough about his past, and I didn't dare to question.

"How're you feelin', Bella?" He greeted me, welcoming me with a hug. I hugged him back.

"Just fine. I'm guessing you're supposed to, uh, help me with my control, right?" I guessed. It was the only logical explanation. Everyone else was nowhere in my sight.

"Yes, ma'am." He winked.

"Okay then." I nodded, and kept following Caius all the way back to, what I recognized to be, the throne room.

There in the throne room, were plentiful of guards that guarded all entrances and exits to the room. Two of the three kings filled the thrones and their eyes snapped to mine as soon as I had stepped into the room.

"Ah, Isabella! You've awakened." Aro declared with delight. "Immortality becomes you."

I didn't mean for my thanks to sound rude, but I was never too good with compliments.

"Thanks." Yeup, that totally sounded sarcastic.

Marcus and Aro just examined me for a while, and I felt slightly uncomfortable. They had this...this _expectancy _in their eyes. It was like they were waiting for me to do something but I didn't know what.

"She has remarkable control." Caius remarked, squeezing my hand.

"I second that." Jasper said, his tone utterly serious and sincere.

"She needs to be fed." Caius told them.

"Heidi will be back soon, be patient, is all." Aro replied, and I nodded, pursing my lips and trying to ignore the burning fury that you call my throat.

I looked around the room, seeing details that I haven't really seen before. Everything was just so visible that it made me want to pity all the humans that will never be able to appreciate the true, fine beauty of everything else in the world.

"Where's my baby?" I inquired, and then when I didn't get an answer, I genuinely grew concerned. "Where is he?"

"Don't worry, he's somewhere safe." Caius reassured her.

"Can I go see him?" I queried. I wondered what my baby looked like right now and how was he doing.

"He's part human, Isabella, it wouldn't be safe for you to be near him unfed." Caius reasoned, frowning upwards slightly.

I nodded once. It did make sense. I didn't want to cause my baby any involuntary harm because I didn't take care of myself properly.

"But after, can I?" I asked.

He nodded. "Of course. They can't keep him from us forever."

_Us. _He considered my child to be his too. This...this just keeps getting better. I just want to melt in a puddle of happiness and enjoy every second of everything.

Everything's perfect. Right now, even before I had the chance to feed, see my child and greet the others, I just know that the rest of forever...

...will be perfect.

* * *

**Please review, I didn't get much feedback last chapter and I hope you guys are enjoying this... **


	22. Chapter 22

A/N:

Thank you, my readers, for reading this story. But sadly, it has come to an end. All good stories must come to an end, am I right?  
Anyway, the ending is much more different than I had it originally planned, but after a while, it had grown on me. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did. It wasn't really meant to be 'novel-ish' more of a 'what-could-have-been' sort of story.  
Thank you, once again, and I'll miss you all.

**As a final note, and as an author, could you all please review? For last time's sake? (: **

* * *

-Chapter 22-

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Heidi walked into the throne room, followed by twenty-two tourists. All of them were silent, as they followed the beautiful blond vampire into the middle of the room. All the guards were on watch, and they were allowed to feed once Aro tells them to. At the same time, the kings will, too. Isabella will act out of instinct, and hopefully, be fed.

Though, Isabella didn't mind that she had to feed from humans. Either way, she's a killer. You're killing an animal for blood: that makes you a killer. Animals have families, they have instincts, they have a mind and a life of their own to live. If you kill them, then what's the point? And if you kill a human, sure it's immorally wrong and illegal, but isn't it the same thing? All living things are mammals. Except for vampires.

The tourists stood in the middle of the throne room, murmuring comments and criticism to one another. Although, it was pretty useless to whisper because everyone else in the room could hear them.

Isabella gripped Caius's hand so hard that he cringed. She pressed her lips hard against each other, failing to ignore the burning sensation in her throat.

"Caius..." Isabella pleaded, swallowing the venom that was pooling in her mouth.

Caius stroked the back of Isabella's hand, as he felt her pain.

"Just hold on a little longer..." He told her, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Welcome to Volterra!" Aro declared, a devious smile creeping onto his face. "We hope your day has been going well...for it is coming to an end. Begin."

That was the key word, and everyone in the room charged towards the now screaming tourists. Some tried to fight back, but were failing miserably. Their screams echoed throughout the castle, and there was no doubt that Rosalie and the baby could hear them.

The overwhelming smell of human blood filled the room, and it was so sweet to the vampires that it was toxic. Finally, Isabella couldn't hold out any longer, and she lunged towards one of the blindsided humans.

Jasper was in the sidelines, his nostrils flaring as he tried to have some self-control. But it was rather difficult. Instead, he decided to focus on helping Isabella keep her control.

Isabella pushed the man to the ground, his wild eyes looking into her red ones as he let out a shriek of horror. His camera was smashed, and thrown to the side. He tried to push her off, but Isabella poked him a little too hard and ended up breaking his rib. He passed out.

She tore the human apart, her teeth sinking into her prey's neck and blood started to gush out. She pressed her lips against the warm human, sucking him dry and moaning in pleasure as the liquid seemed to put out the fire in her throat. It wasn't long until she threw the human back on the ground, accidentally breaking a few spinal cord bones in the process.

Isabella stood up, admiring her job well done. She didn't feel an ounce of remorse. This was who she was, and as immoral as what her actions were, she couldn't take it back. She had just made her first kill.

And it was _exhilarating. _

The adrenaline soon faded and she was calm, feeling satisfied and somewhat stronger now. She took a step back to realize that everyone in the room was staring at her. She immediately felt out-of-place and awkward. She gawked at all of them, her red eyes wide and full of innocence.

"Did I do it wrong?" She cocked her head to the side, and it reminded most of the of Jane and how she could look so innocent yet so guilty at the same time.

"No." Aro shook his head, his eyes wide with wonder and his mouth was gaping. "That was...remarkable! That was incredible! I do not think I have ever witnessed a newborn make such a clean kill. Jasper?"

"Indeed. Bella, that was amazin'. I don't even think you would need any trainin', darlin'." Jasper nodded, clearly in a state of awe.

"Oh." Isabella acknowledged, licking her lips absentmindedly. "So, that was good, right?"

"Excellent." Caius breathed, walking towards his mate and hugging her. "You did splendid."

Isabella pursed her lips, contemplating her situation for a moment.

"So, can I see my baby now?" She inquired, in all eagerness.

Caius darted his eyes towards his brothers for admittance. Marcus and Aro looked at each other before nodding in unison.

"Jasper must be with you at all times, in condition." Aro announced sternly.

She nodded. "Of course."

"Then there should not be an issue." Aro replied.

"Then let's go." Caius ushered her out of the throne room.

Isabella couldn't wait to see him.

* * *

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Rosalie immediately knew that Isabella was coming to visit John. She was rather nervous actually. Would Isabella approve of the way she was taking care of him? But either way, Isabella would have to endure it.

Rosalie imprinted Isabella's fuchsia mixed with a touch of strawberry-like smell and looked immediately at John, who was frowning in confusion as he couldn't decide which to play with: the ball or the scarf.

Rosalie and Emmett were in the room with John, and so was Jane and Alice. Felix had gone back to his post, and they were now waiting for Isabella and Caius to come see the child so that they could get on with their battle.

Alice and Jane were explicitly excited for Isabella to walk in and see her baby. Alice and Jane were both sure that Isabella would be ecstatic and so happy to see him. Alice especially had John wear a blue plaid shirt with black jeans just for the occasion. Isabella had always loved the color blue.

Isabella, on the other hand, was nervous. Would her child even recognize her? Would he cry when she tried to pick him up? What if he doesn't even like her? These questions worried her dearly, and she couldn't help but stress that enough. Caius noticed shift in behavior, and grasped her hand firmly in his. He stopped her in her tracks, and she questioningly looked up at him, the red glow of her eyes endearing.

Jasper was trailing behind them, discussing something with Felix who reluctantly came along to retrieve those who wanted to watch him fight Emmett.

"Isabella, you don't have to be so nervous. Everything will be all right." Caius soothed her, kissing the top of her head.

"But what if he doesn't?" She inquired, her voice small and sounding heartbroken. She was jumping to conclusions so quickly.

"He _will_." Caius assured her, tugging at her hand to follow him again.

Isabella took a deep breath, looking back worriedly at Jasper who smiled at her warmly. Gradually, she felt the effects of Jasper's gift work on her and she ceased to worry.

Caius stopped in front of a wide door, looking back at his mate with confidence.

"Are you ready?" He whispered, his eyes boring into hers.

Isabella took a deep breath again, pressed her lips together and closed her eyes before nodding.

"Yes." She murmured back.

Isabella didn't open her eyes until she heard the door open. And once it did, the scent of four other vampires in there wafted her senses, leaving her questioning who they belonged to. She identified two of them to belong to Alice and Jane, but the other two, they were unknown.

But there was another scent; a much sweeter one. It smelt a little bit like a rainforest would, but with the sweet remains of human blood. Isabella wasn't attracted by the human blood, as she scented it was a mixture of something else. In other words, she wasn't appealed to it in a 'hungry' way.

Isabella opened her eyes slowly, taking in everything all at once.

And there he was.

On the floor, in a pretty blue shirt with dark jeans, was the child she acknowledged to be her own.

And he was _beautiful. _

Isabella's hands covered her mouth and she stifled a gasp. The baby looked up at her, and Isabella gulped as his eyes mimicked that of her human colored ones: a muddy brown. They were big, round and full of wonder. He looked at her with such emotion; such _happiness_ and she was immediately feeling love and compassion towards the child. He grinned at her, his mouth was still toothless but it was adorable, nonetheless.

It was then when he muttered the first word he had learned: "Mama!"

"My baby..." Isabella whispered, and the little child immediately exploded in giggles. Isabella carefully made her way to the floor, opening her arms out to the little child. The baby looked at them, confused, before realizing what she was doing.

And obediently, he crawled onto her lap.

"He's so big!" Isabella acknowledged, breathing in the scent of her son.

Rosalie smiled as she watched the mother and son reunite for the very first time. What a heart-warming moment.

"We call him John." Rosalie explained, a warm smile on her perfectly shaped lips. "We didn't know what you would have wanted to name him."

"John..." Isabella whispered, grinning at her child. "It's perfect. It suits him."

"That's what I thought!" Alice squealed, clapping her hands joyfully. Jasper went to her side and instinctively wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him, smiling at John and Isabella.

"You thought well." Isabella laughed, as she put her baby back down on the blanket. He pounced onto the scarf.

"Oh!" Alice squeaked, her eyes widening. "Don't you two have a little battle planned?" She queried, gesturing to Emmett and Felix.

"Yeah. Is the room clear?" Emmett asked, at Jane.

Jane smiled, her mind still a little bit dazed at how Isabella and John reunited. She absolutely adored the two of them together.

"By now, it should be cleared." Jane nodded, her eyes never leaving Isabella nor John.

Isabella frowned. "Let me guess, Emmett challenged you first?" She questioned, loosely pointing at Felix.

Felix smirked. "A mistake on his behalf."

"A brutal one." Caius murmured, slyly glancing at Emmett who's mouth parted slightly at the King's words.

"Alice, can't you just tell us who wins?" Emmett whined, regretting his proposal. If a King thinks that it was a 'brutal' mistake, then Emmett was definitely in for it.

Alice looked at him in mock shock. "No! That would ruin it. _But _I _could _tell you there will be a surpr-OW!"

Caius shot a glare at Jane, who shot a glare at Alice, who was rubbing the spot where Jane pinched her on the arm.

"Okay okay, I'll shut up now." Alice pouted, still rubbing the spot on her arm. For a vampire, she overreacts quite a bit.

"Shut up about what?" Isabella queried, suspiciously frowning at both Jane and Alice.

"You'll have to see later." Alice giggled, and Jane tried hard to hide her smile but was failing miserably.

"_So, _are we going to battle or not?" Emmett wailed, slumping his shoulders.

Felix coyly and deviously smiled back at the Cullen.

"Most certainly."

* * *

Isabella wasn't too keen on letting John watch the battle, but she realized that his life would be revolved around it a lot and he'll be grown up soon.

They all gathered in the emptied spare room, a huge ring around the wide, open space, and everyone was nearly silent, despite the murmurs and giggles of the wives (who were cooing uncontrollably at John). Otherwise, everyone had perfect posture, a sly smirk or excited grin on their faces and they all waited patiently for the two fighters to come in the room.

When Emmett walked into the room, followed by a sullen looking Felix, and everything fell silent. Even John, with his wide brown eyes, stared anxiously as the two vampires settled in the middle of the throne room, both of them face to face.

It was an odd sight to begin with. The Cullens were so used to having Emmett, the big, muscular, tall Emmett that with him standing in front of Felix, made him look small.

Felix was taller than Emmett, by a good six inches. He wasn't as muscular but everything knows that Felix didn't need muscle to defeat his opponents. He has skills.

Jane walked between them, separating them both from each other by a good ten feet. She smirked at the audience and smiled devilishly before speaking.

"Welcome everyone." She greeted. "We are gathered here today because Emmett Cullen had indirectly challenged Felix Volturi to a fight." She gave Emmett a pitiful glance before continuing. "I direct you to applaud and cheer as you wish. No physical interference." She spun around, placing both competitors in appropriate positions before turning back around. "When I say go."

She turned back and went towards Isabella, who was holding a squirmy John in her arms. Jane clasped her hands, observing both vampires glaring at each other.

"Go!"

Almost immediately, you could hear cheering and hollering echo throughout the entire castle, maybe even from outside.

The sound of grinding boulders, shattered glass and loud smacking was audible. Emmett had the upper hand at first, tackling Felix to the ground and making a dent into the marble floor. But Felix quickly made a quick recovery, slipping away from underneath Emmett and pouncing back on top of him.

Emmett struggled, grunting and clenching his teeth as he tried his best to push the over-sized Volturi guard off from on top of him. Emmett was clearly losing, a fearful expression in his eyes. Rosalie stifled a gasp, her eyes wide as she stood by, terrified. Jasper was there to calm her down, to the best of his abilities.

Emmett shifted his right arm so that he had Felix in a headlock. Despite Emmett being underneath him, he was still strangling the Volturi guard well. Felix let out a low growl, and this earned a chorus of "Oo's" from nearly everyone in the room.

Emmett didn't back down though. He managed to push Felix off of him, standing upright as he balled his hands into fists. He struck Felix in the face, and Felix stumbled backwards awkwardly. Felix glared at the golden-eyed opponent, his red ones looking enraged and determined. He lunged forward, pushing Emmett into a wall and accidentally knocking down a pillar.

Emmett drowsily looked up, a crack appearing on his face. Everyone gasped, and the Kings nearly had to step in and stop the fight before Felix tore Emmett's head off. But Emmett wasn't done, and he was determined to win. He was _motivated _to win.

Emmett took a deep breath, venom pooling in his mouth as he bent down, and Felix looked at him in confusion. Emmett took the risk; pulling Felix off his feet and throwing him across the room.

Felix smashed a window, almost falling out. Emmett didn't take a second longer before he pulled Felix up from the ground, tossing him back into the marble floor, right next to the previous dent that had been made. Jane looked at them in awe, but knew it was time to call out a winner.

She stepped forward, all eyes focusing on her.

Emmett crumbled to the ground, right next to Felix who looked exhausted. Both of them groaned in agony, as Jane inflicted pain upon both of them in order to get them to stop fighting.

Jane looked at Aro, Marcus and Caius who all nodded their heads simultaneously, giving her permission to call the match off.

"Although we'd all love to see how _this_," She gestured to the two opponents laying on the ground in pain. "Would have ended, I'm afraid we will have to announce a winner before someone ends up in ashes."

Jane observed both of the competitors on the ground. Jane was the one to judge now, it was her time to make decisions. Even though it wasn't much of a life-changing decision, she felt pride that she had even a little bit of authority.

"The winner is..." She squinted as both Felix and Emmett had pleading looks in their eyes. "Emmett Cullen."

The Cullen family, including Isabella and John, cheered. Everyone else in the guard groaned and moaned in defeat. Some even shouted at Felix at how disappointed they were in him. But they knew that Felix was still a great fighter, despite his loss.

He can't win every time.

* * *

Caius and Isabella were back in the garden.

John was put to sleep, as it was nine in the evening. Emmett was lounging in a separate room in the castle with Rosalie, as he was recovering from the fight. Alice and Jasper had decided to go hunting, as it had been days since they last had anything to eat. Carlisle and Esme were talking and spending time together in a guest bedroom.

Aro and Marcus were dealing with the Romanians, who were trying to persuade them into giving them more authority in the vampire world. Jane, as well as the Elite Guards and the Guards in general, were all back at their posts.

As the days had gone by, Isabella had proved herself to have immense self-control for a newborn. And along the way, they have discovered a hidden talent. Isabella was a manipulator. Nothing quite like her, actually. She can make you think things that she wants you to think. She can make you think that you're in love with her, even if you really aren't. She can make you do things that, in reality, you would never do.

She had chosen to use her powers for good, which gave the Volturi and vast feeling of relief.

Caius and Isabella were perches on an old bench, admiring the starry night. They had time to memorize all the visible stars from above, and even name them.

Caius had his arm draped around Isabella's waist, and Isabella was leaning into him.

"I'd love to just spend eternity like this." Isabella sighed, smiling up at the stars.

Caius grinned slyly. "You can. We have forever."

Isabella looked down shyly, hiding her face in his chest. "It sounds perfect."

"Despite everything that has happened, you still manage to see the bright side." Caius remarked, kissing her hair softly.

Isabella shrugged, thinking the obvious. "It's all you can do."

"Yes, I suppose. I'm glad you stayed strong. For us. For John." Caius whispered to her, adoringly admiring how shy she was acting.

Isabella looked up at him, a small amount of remorse and sorrow in her ruby red eyes.

"He's not yours." She murmured, the hurtful tone in her voice made Caius press his lips firmly together, as his dead heart throbbed with sadness. He hated seeing her like this.

"But I love him anyway. It doesn't matter. He's a part of you, Isabella, I'll always love the both of you. You're mine, forever." He kissed her, softly on the lips, before breaking a part. Isabella frowned, usually she was the one to pull away first.

"And I want you to be mine forever." He confessed, and ever so swiftly, getting down on one knee.

He pulled out a black velvet box, elegantly flipping it open to reveal a diamond ring. It was simple, but it was symbolic all the same.

He looked up lovingly into her eyes, as she brought both her hands to her mouth, covering the gasp that escaped her mouth.

"Isabella Marie Swan," He began, a small smile tugging at both corners of his lips. "Will you do the immense honor, and marry me?"

Isabella was at a loss for words. Half of her was screaming at her, scolding at her and asking her why she wasn't responding. The other half was in complete shock. But happy.

"Yes, Caius, I'll marry you."

And they kissed each other, passionately.

* * *

They were ready. They were ready for whatever the future has to bring them. The fights, the arguments, the tears, the happiness, the memories. They both knew that they were ready.

And they couldn't wait any longer. They wanted each other badly, they _needed _each other more than anything.

They were two halves of a whole. Isabella was the moon to Caius's night. Caius was the sun to Isabella's day. Without each other, they would never feel complete. And with each other, they were invincible.

Despite everything that they had gone through together, they both knew that with the help of one another, they'll be able to get through it. They know it. Love overcomes everything. It doesn't matter who you were up against.

On August 24th, Isabella was to take Athenodora's place as the second Queen of the Volturi.

Everything that Isabella has gone through, the tragedies, the heartbreak, finding love...finding _hope_, she had faith that she would make it out alive. And she did.

But everything had to come with risks. And she knew what they were; she'll need time before telling her family about who she is, _what _she is. Jacob will just have to understand that not everyone will have a fairytale ending. But everything happens for a reason. Without Edward, there wouldn't have been John. Without Jane's loyalty, Isabella would have been an introvert. Without Isabella, Caius would forever be a heartless monster.

They both deserved a happy ending.

After all these _diversions_...wouldn't you want one too?

* * *

_The End._

* * *

**Thank you for reading this story.  
I hope you all enjoyed it!  
If possible, please review (: ! **

_It's best to keep the readers wondering.  
-Team Moriarty_


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